Welcome Home
by PrincessDystopia
Summary: For ten years, he's always been there to protect her, shield her, be her rock when the world had turned against her. Now, with Blank's life hanging by a thread, the clock is ticking and Sori may be the only one who can save him this time. With the world ending around her, she has to find a way to bring him back from this state. After all, she owes him her life. [Rewritten]
1. The Canary Takes Flight

**September has proven to be a month of rediscovery. I've rediscovered my love of Final Fantasy IX, rediscovered that I can indeed grow after being beaten down, and rediscovered that my writing was not very good when I was sixteen.**

 **So, here we are, nearly six years later! As stated in the summery, this is indeed a rewritten version of the same story I wrote back in high school, just with a few minor (who am I kidding, _major_ ) fix 'ems and detail changes. I've decided to write this story in third person instead of first, break up the extremely long chapters, and add details where I should have before. **

**If you were a fan of the old story, I can only hope you'll enjoy the remake a thousand times more! As always, the story has been and will always be inspired by the song _Welcome Home_ by Radical Face and my unconditional love for Blank, who  does not get enough credit for being the badass that he is.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I'm enjoying living it again!**

* * *

"Ow! Okay! I'm _fine_ , for shit's sake! Knock it off!"

"You're still bleeding! _Obviously_ you're not fine!"

"Its just a cut!"

With a voice like thunder, Baku's words sent chills down their spines. "Blank and Sori, quit arguin' and get ready!" he ordered just as the redhead in the girl's tight grasp narrowly shifted out of the path of a flying, crumpled piece of paper. With Blank distracted, Sori hurried to finish tying a frayed cloth around his arm, hopefully stopping the blood from trickling from the gash their boss had given him only a few minutes before.

Just as Sori opened her mouth to tell Blank that she was finished, the Prima Vista shifted violently – a random occurrence that she should've been used to by now – and knocked her off her feet and onto her backside. Stifling a laugh, Blank held a scarred hand toward the grimacing brunette.

"Looks like you need medical attention more than I do," he commented, pulling her onto her feet with the utmost ease.

"Shut it, stupid," Sori snapped as she waved his hand away as if it were some annoying fly.

Although she couldn't see the humor in his eyes, that familiar boastful smirk remained planted on Blank's face as he patted her head twice, being sure to run his fingers through her hair to make a mess of it, and strolled past her to the room behind to run through his lines a few more times. Blank knew it just as well as everyone else in Tantalus that he had a photographic memory, so why did he need to spend so much time going over his performance again and again and again?

Baku, a tall and stout man who carried his stress in his shoulders, turned to the girl he often thought of as the odd one out. "Sori," he grumbled as he bent down to pick up a chair that had fallen over during turbulence. "You remember what your job is, right?"

Sori let out a long, exasperated sigh and closed her baby blue pools tightly. "Yes, sir," she muttered in annoyance. How many times was he going to ask her this? "Play the part of a noble, make sure I'm sitting in the front row, jump if anyone tries to interfere. I got it." Opening her eyes once more, she flashed him a crooked smile. "Don't worry, okay? I won't screw this one up."

The chair groaned as Baku settled himself in it. "Good. Keep it that way." And with that, his nose was buried back into a tarnished book that had seen much damage since its publication. Although Sori had never read _I Want To Be Your Canary_ by Lord Avon herself, she felt as if she could recite the dialogue in her sleep.

Glancing out the tiny circular window to her right, Sori peered down over the kingdom of Alexandria as it slid underneath the airship. Bodies that reminded of her ants filled the streets and she couldn't help but strum her delicate fingers anxiously on the discolored wood near her head. There weren't nearly this many people in Lindblum.

"What're you waitin' for, girl?" Baku barked without lifting his gaze from the book. "Go get ready. Its almost show time."

Detaching herself from the window, Sori gave him a curt nod as she walked past him. "Yes, sir."

Sori wasted no time jogging through the ship, trying her best to ignore the chatter around her. The other members of Tantalus were readying themselves in their own manners; Zidane and Blank spouted random lines of dialogue to see if the other could remember their joining part, Benero and Zenero cast small bouts of stage magic at each other, and Cinna inspected his prized hammer as he mumbled to himself. Everyone had been waiting for this day for months. After all, this was going to be their biggest job yet.

Just as Sori reached the door to the bedroom that they all shared, it swung open and her face nearly collided with a tanned chest. Animosity immediately rose inside her. "Marcus," she greeted the man through a tight jaw.

"Sori," he deep voice replied with just as much disdain, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.

Since the second Sori's quivering and pathetic body had been brought to Tantalus, the two had never gotten along. Constant name calling, hair pulling, and bruises were nothing new to them. For the most part, Sori blamed Marcus for almost being rejected and tossed aside by Baku nearly eight and a half years ago and for the most part, Marcus didn't deny it. Through the maturing that came along with aging, the two had become at least somewhat civil toward each other. However, the awkward air always settled over the them when they were forced into a room with each other.

"Break a leg out there," Sori hissed, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. Without so much of a word of gratitude, Marcus continued past her as if she wasn't there. "Or both your legs," she added loud enough for his ears to catch as she pushed the bedroom door open once again.

Untidy beds haphazardly placed about and articles of clothing filled the room. Shuffling her way through it all, Sori finally reached the one thing she could almost call her own: a small vanity tucked away in the corner of the room that she shared with Ruby. The mirror, cracked and worn from time and drunken nights, flashed her reflection back at her as she settled herself on the padded chair.

Exhaustion from the day made itself apparent on Sori's face. She knew that staying up the entire night before didn't help her case, but she had just been so excited that sleep couldn't visit her. No matter, she figured. Make-up worked wonders on girls who lacked sleep.

Just as Sori lifted the pink tipped brush to her cheeks, the bedroom door flung open. Blank maneuvered his way in, paying absolutely no attention to her, and threw himself on the nearest bed. Laying on his back, his lips silently moved. Sori watched him through the mirror, listening to his voice in her head as it matched the movement on his tongue.

"We shall back thee, kinsman!" the imaginary voice shouted.

Underneath the cloth, Blank's eyes must've been shut because the second Sori spoke, his body jolted in surprise. "You don't have the entire play running through your veins yet? Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

Rubbing his face, Blank slipped the belt from his head. Piercing emerald eyes locked on Sori's body, sending a small tremble through her. Something about the way he stared at her had always set something off. What that something was, she never knew. What she did know, though, was that she'd never seen him give anyone else the same look.

"Your lips still look pale," Blank informed her, pointing to his own lips. "Maybe some more red? What do they call it out there? 'Blood of the poor and unfortunate'?"

A giggle broke through Sori's barely parted, rose stained mouth. "Something along those lines," she replied before turning in her chair and holding the colored stick out toward him. "Since you obviously know more than I do about fashion, would you like to come do this for me?"

Blank let out a snorting chuckle as he fastened the belt back over his eyes. "Not unless you want to look like Cinna," he murmured sharply. The mention of his fellow actor brought a sense of dread to the pit of his stomach. He knew he should've been long over his fleeting fear of standing out in front of thousands of people, but it still caught him off-guard at the worst moments.

Picking up on his sudden change in tone and the way his slightly scarred mouth pressed into a thin line, Sori placed her chipped pencil onto the vanity counter and lifted herself from the chair. "Hey," she muttered as she stepped over the pieces of clothing strewn on the floor between them. "Don't stress yourself out, okay? You'll do fine."

"Who said I was stressing myself out?" Blank retorted, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Like two perfect pieces of a puzzle, they came together. Spreading his legs only just enough for her small frame to fit between, Blank wrapped his arms around Sori's waist. In return, she snaked her own arms around his head, pressing her face into the fiery mess of hair and inhaling his musk.

"I just know you all too well," Sori replied, her voice like velvet in his ears.

Almost like magic, every ounce of anxiety and fear that had been building inside Blank disappeared. "Unfortunately," he teased as he tilted his head to glance at her unfinished face. "I know I've told you a million times before, but-"

"I know, I know," Sori grumbled with a heavy eye roll. "Only move when you do the hand sign. I swear, sometimes I think you and Baku are the same person, repeating yourselves all the time."

(!)(!)(!)

Face caked with make-up, hair pulled up into a tight bun, and dressed in the most eloquent garment she'll ever had the fortune to borrow (actually, it had been stolen a week before), Sori found herself seated in the very front row of the amphitheater, completely unnoticeable next to a large woman dressed much like herself. Sori tried her hardest to ignore the blabbing that seemed to continue on forever. Who cared if the woman's child was educated? And who cared that she had more money than Sori ever realized could exist?

In all honesty, Sori found it hard to be impressed by this. Instead, she had to restrain herself from pick pocketing while she had the chance.

A wave of hushes and whistles settled over the audience as the lights slammed off around them. The woman beside Sori let out some strange gurgle of excitement. Only then did the young girl take notice of the pearl necklace around the woman's rather elephantine neck. It seemed almost too tight for her. Sori figured it would've looked much better on her own skin.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Baku's voice echoed from the only area on the stage that had any light shining down on it. Looking up at him, Sori's mouth ran dry. She'd never seen him dressed in costume before. Long, elegant robes hung from Baku's shoulders, giving off the impression that he was even bulkier than he truly was. Shining jewelry hung from his earlobes, wrists, and neck. Through his make-up, Sori could see droplets of sweat building on his face. "Tonight's performance is one that takes place long, long ago..."

Unlike during any other performance before, Sori's stomach flipped in nervous anticipation. Blank's previous bout of anxiety suddenly became valid as her foot bounced up and down, up and down, up and down underneath her seat. With a scoff of annoyance, the woman next to her smacked Sori's thigh with the backside of her hand.

"And now," Baku continued, raising his arms high over his head to address the proper party, "Your Royal Highness, Queen Brahne; Your Highness, Princess Garnet; noble ladies and lords" – his eyes locked with Sori's for a quick moment and, realizing she was sitting with a slight hunch to her back, she lifted her chest – "and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents _I Want To Be Your Canary_!"

With a dramatic _clang,_ every single light died. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Sori tried her hardest to ignore the shushing noises echoing around her. She'd always hated that sound and it became her least favorite part of every performance. Luckily, as soon as three familiar voices echoed around her, the audience quieted themselves.

"Bereft of father!" Blank's voice boomed out over the band playing the background music, seemingly surrounding the entire stage. "Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!" He sounded so confident and relaxed; Sori wondered if this was the same man who had been pacing the floors, chewing nervously at his fingernails, and taking deep breaths to calm himself only the day before.

"Fortune hath escap'd thee!" Cinna cried out, his voice just as at ease as Blank's. "For what end shalt thou live?"

"For the sake of our friend, let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!" Zidane roared.

"Aye!" Cinna and Blank finished simultaneously. The lights flickered on once more, revealing Baku, Benero, and Zenero pointing their weapons toward Marcus. Sori curled her nose in distaste at the way he puffed out his chest to make himself seem bigger and quite frankly, more important.

As the three ran onstage to stand alongside Marcus, Sori caught Zidane's gaze for just a split second. She knew he was just making sure she was in the right spot. After all, she was just as crucial as everyone else, even if she wasn't playing a part. She was, for lack of a better word, their alarm. If anything were to go wrong, Sori would be the first to know.

"My word," the woman next to Sori exclaimed in a hushed tone. "That hair. Do you see that beautiful tint? Such a rare sight, if I do say so myself."

Seeing that the woman's eyes were locked on Blank, Sori followed her gaze's trail. It wasn't very often that Blank's hair caught positive attention; redheads were scarce during these times and when one was seen, they weren't welcomed with quite a tone of amazement. They were usually seen as strange and foreign – like another kind of being altogether. These sorts of things never phased Blank, though. Even through the surly whispers and glares of revulsion, he continued to walk on by with his head held high.

"What ho?" Baku shouted from the stage, Benero and Zenero raising their arms in anger at his sides. "Out, vermin! Away! Thou darest bare thy sword before the king?! All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"

A few more, almost unintelligible threats flew from Zidane's mouth and the swords began to fly. They'd rehearsed this fight so many times before; Sori shouldn't have been as nervous as she was, but she had to stop herself from biting at her fingernails a few times. From the sideways glance of confusion from the woman beside her, Sori gathered that nobles didn't often put their hands anywhere near their mouths. So instead, she resorted to clasping her hands together tightly in her lap and digging her jagged nails into her own skin instead.

As Baku's henchmen, Benero and Zenero threw themselves at the trio to protect their boss, casting all sorts of stage magic and waving their swords about wildly. Smiling to herself, Sori wordlessly admitted with a small nod that it was definitely a convincing harmless fight. That is, until Benero stumbled on his own feet and pressed the tip of his sword against Blank's arm.

With a heavy gasp of horror, Sori watched as the cloth she had tied on earlier fell from Blank's previous injury, allowing another gush of blood to appear on his scarred skin. Obviously flustered, the redhead took a step back, dropping his sword to grab at the sticky liquid only momentarily before gathering his senses. He bowed his head, grabbed his sword once more, and delivered his boot into Benero's chest.

"Away with thee!" Blank hollered, pursing his lips into a thin line.

Sori's gut swirled uncomfortably at the sight of his blood. It had always left an unsettling feeling inside her on the rare occurrences that she did see it. Sweat collected in her palms, her chest suddenly felt compressed, and her knees began to tremble. Instead of keeping her eyes, now filling with tears, locked on the actors, Sori tilted her head downward, staring at her hands as if they would wash away the blood that she was sure would forever remain stained on the wood in front of her.

"This group is simply amazing," the woman beside she whispered, her eyes as wide as a pair of moons. "How in the world could they find makeup that looks just like real blood? And to have it pour from that man's arm like that – I just can't fathom the amount of gil they've spent on it!"

With a harmonized groan of pain, Benero and Zenero crumpled to the ground, seemingly defeated. Sori lifted her gaze back to her friends just as Baku shoved his way past Zidane and Marcus, holding his chest as if he'd been stabbed. "Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" he declared as he stumbled his way up the fake spiral stairs the group had constructed a week before, which had ultimately led to a paint war and yet another beating from Baku. Sori could still feel the bruise on her hip from his massive fist.

Just as Zidane made his move to chase after their boss, Blank hurried to stand in his way, dramatically dodging a sword swing from the blond. "Out of the way, Blank!" he ordered in annoyance.

"Consider this, Zidane!" Blank retorted, holding his sword toward his friend. Sori could see the pain written on his face; his jaw remained tight, he was obviously sweating, and his lips trembled ever so slightly. "If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!"

Surprisingly, Sori's mouth lifted into a tiny smile. During their moments of secret practice, Blank would intentionally say that line wrong to make her laugh. Like a mirror, his mouth did the same, though it was quickly pressed back into a tight frown. Had he been watching her this entire time? Without even thinking about the answer, Sori allowed her heart to flutter inside her chest at the thought of it.

Blank's expression fell darker than it had in years as he held his sword at Zidane's throat. Sori's smile faltered as she stared at him, her heart slowing to its normal pace in almost an instant. Then, like some sort of magic, the scar on her left leg felt as if it had been set aflame. With a sharp inhale, she reached down and rubbed it furiously with her palm.

As if they were a hound chasing a rabbit, Zidane and Blank ran up the stairs Baku had used earlier and performed a small fight scene at the top balcony. With every clang of the metal and scuffle of their feet on the wood, the woman next to Sori let out some sort of distressed squeal, as if she was scared they'd harm each other. Sori could see why she was acting such a way; the scene the two were putting on were so believable that Sori herself began to wonder if one had made the other angry just before they came onstage together.

It was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Blank held his blade in front of his face, blocking a swing from Zidane, and pushed him backward. "We shall finish this later!" he cried out before running off the way Baku had gone.

"Come back here!" Zidane roared, chasing after the redhead.

With a sigh of relief, Sori leaned back on her seat. Now, she thought, she could enjoy the play without hanging on the edge of her chair.

(!)(!)(!)

Unfortunately, enjoying the play never happened. Sori found herself painfully bored, nearly to the point of tears. She slouched in her chair, giving up her proper appearance long ago, and let out a long sigh. When was this going to be over? She'd seen this acted out so many times, she should've known when the ending was coming. The play was only an hour long, and yet Sori felt as if she'd been sitting there for three hours.

"Quiet yourself, young lady," the woman next to her scolded, once more smacking Sori's leg with her hand. "King Leo is just about to announce Marcus' execution."

With an irritated roll of her eyes, Sori donned on the dagger strapped to her thigh. One more smack, and it would be driven right through this woman's chest. "If only," she murmured under her breath.

Up on the stage, Marcus struggled against more of Baku's henchmen. Sword swinging proudly in the air, Baku let out a roaring laughter and puffed his chest out. "When yon bell strikes three, under the axe thou shall be!"

With the first strike of a church bell that someone had hit underneath the stage, the crowd began to stir uncomfortably. As much as Sori disposed Marcus, she had to admit that he was a great actor; the audience had fallen in love with his character within the first two minutes of the play. At the second strike of the bell, the woman beside Sori began whispering that they couldn't actually kill an actor on stage, no matter how real that blood looked. She seemed to be trying to convince herself, and failing miserably; her eyes had become cloudy long ago.

The third strike never came, because much to Sori's surprise, the trap door opened and three bodies lifted into sight. Zidane's panicked gaze locked onto Sori, wordlessly letting her know that things have gone wrong, while an armor-clad Alexandrian knight stared out into the sea of audience.

"Ho? What is all this?" the knight questioned, lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the stage lights.

Beside him, a petite figure in a hooded cloak made her way over to the actors just as Marcus and Baku shared a knowing glance. Marcus broke free from the henchmen and allowed the woman to fall into his arms. "Cornelia!" he cried out, a wide grin spreading across his tanned face.

The gut-wrenching feeling inside Sori disappeared for only a moment. At least Ruby had made it to her place without anything going wrong. So what if they picked up an extra person along the way? If anything, the knight made this all more believable.

"Oh, Marcus!" the girl cried out, and every single ounce of hope inside Sori dropped. Where was the accent? Sori shifted forward in her seat, getting a better look at this girl. She was definitely a lot shorter than Ruby. Who the hell was she?

With her breathing becoming more and more heavy and painful, Sori twisted about in her seat, looking for any sign of the mess of fiery hair, for the hand sign, for _anything._ Instead, she was only greeted with the confused expressions of the onlookers and another slap to the leg. She grit her teeth, remembering on a past threat that Baku had given her about fighting with anyone who wasn't trying to stop the play.

"...and for my love, Cornelia!" Marcus cried out as Sori apprehensively brought her attention back to the stage. "I shall cut thee down!"

Holding his sword over his head, Marcus thrust the blade toward Baku. Whoever the hooded girl was, though, nearly sprinted to Baku's aide, lifting her arm only slightly to give the impression that the weapon pierced her instead. With a pained grunt, she fell to her knees then finally to her stomach, being sure to keep her face hidden from the audience.

Marcus fell to his knees at her side. Something flashed across his face for only a split second as he lowered himself to her level. That confirmed Sori's doubts that there was something wrong with whoever was lying on the stage, but Marcus continued anyway. Forcing dampness into his eyes, he let out a dramatic choking sob.

"What have I done!" he hollered, his voice thick was tears. "Am I never to hear her loving voice again! Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch! O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!" As a final decision, Marcus lifted his sword once more and "stabbed" it through himself. He fell next to the hooded girl, but his eyes remained open and wide as he stared at her face. Sori could've sworn she saw a tiny smirk playing on his lips.

Causing a jolt of surprise to flood over Sori's body, the woman next to her erupted into terrible, screeching cries. Urgently, she began to fish around in her purse and pulled out a series of tissues that looked as though they had already been used.

Meanwhile, the knight who had been watching the entire play, fell to his knees as well. "Princess!" he shouted in horror. Pieces started to come together in Sori's head. If the knight thought the hooded girl was truly dead, and honestly believed her to be a princess, then that only meant...

"Leave me _alone!_ "

In the corner of the stage, a small Black Mage stumbled his way into view. Behind him were two Alexandrian knights, both suffering with heaving breaths. Sori's fingers latched onto the side of her seat once more. She'd never fought a Black Mage, but from what she'd heard of them in stories and talk around cities, they were extremely dangerous and unstable.

As much as Sori wanted to jump onstage with everyone, she remained where she was. After all, Blank hadn't given the hand sign yet. Where the hell was he, anyway?

Circling around Marcus and the hooded girl, the Black Mage used them as a barrier between himself and the knights. He lifted his gloved hands toward them, obviously trembling. "D-Don't come any closer!" he shouted, his voice giving away that he couldn't have been any older than ten. "I'm warning you!"

The knights, apparently not giving this warning a second thought, each took a step toward him. Letting out a shriek of panic, the mage gathered flames in his palms and sent them flying out at his pursuers. Instead of landing on their armor, the embers settled onto the hooded girl. Without any hesitation, she jumped to her feet and flung the robe from her back.

"Ow! Ow!" she cried out, dancing about in place. "That's hot!"

The flaming robe landed somewhere in the audience, but only a few moved away from what was left of the smoking piece of clothing. The others were too transfixed on the one who had thrown it, Sori included. She'd never seen Princess Garnet up close. Sure, she had seen paintings and heard about her beauty, but this was something Sori hadn't expected.

Even though Princess Garnet was obviously alarmed, her giant brown eyes still shone through with nothing but the utmost kindness. Hair the shade of midnight and so much longer then Sori's framed her heart-shaped face and tumbled down her back flawlessly. Her skin looked so clear and fragile that it seemed as if she'd shatter at the most softest of touches.

"...Sori!" Baku's deep growl brought Sori's attention away from the woman gazing down at her in confusion. "Get the hell up here and get in the ship!"

"B-But Blank didn't give the-"

"Listen to me, girl, or get left behind!"

She had no time to think. Grabbing onto Baku's hand, she allowed him to pull her toward the stage. Unfortunately, the sobbing woman had pulled herself together long enough to grab onto Sori's ankle. "Thief!" she cried out, looking about frantically for any knights who weren't occupied with the roar of the crowd. "They're kidnapping the princess! Guards, get her!"

Having no time to consider her options, Sori latched onto to Baku's giant arm. With her free foot, she reared her leg back and shoved her knee into the woman's face. In an instant, blood began to squirt from the woman's nose, sending her tumbling backwards into the rest of the audience, who clumsily caught her.

"Nicely done, girl," Baku grumbled into Sori's ear as she stumbled onto the wooden stage.

Engines roared to life deep inside the ship. Sori twisted her head about nervously. "Blank, where's Blank?!" she shouted over the cries of the audience. People were already starting to try to save the princess by crawling onto the stage, but Benero, Zenero, and Zidane were standing ready to push them away.

"He'll find his way!" Baku replied, his plump face crimson with anger. "He always does!"

Sori knew Baku was right. When speaking about his boys, he usually was, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave without knowing if Blank was on the ship or not. A chorus of a gasp rose from the audience as the stage began to lift from the ground. Not giving her a choice in the matter anymore, Baku lifted the small girl over his shoulder and hurried toward the control room, trying to ignore her shouts of protest the entire way.

Inside the ship, chaos mirrored the exterior. Random members of the unlucky band that had been playing called for each other over the noise of the engine and the hollering orders of the Tantalus members. Tables and chairs were shifting haphazardly, creating blockades for anyone trying to run to safety. In the rush of starting, the ceilings began to crack and chip, much to Baku's dismay. This would cost more gil in repairs than he had the energy or patience to think about.

"Put me down!" Sori shrieked as he pounded his back with her fists. "Put me _down!_ "

What happened next seemed much like a whirlwind of movement to her. She was placed on her feet and a beefy palm collided with her cheek. Just as she stumbled back a few paces, Baku grabbed onto her shoulders and lowered himself to her height. "Pull yourself together, girl!" he shouted, spittle landing on her red face. "Keep actin' like this and you're gonna die! Do you understand me?!"

Honestly, over the noise and the shock of what just happened, it was hard to understand him. Eventually, Sori nodded, eyes filled with tears and body trembling, and muttered a pathetic, "Yes, sir."

"Now get somewhere safe and stay there until we come get you!"

"You found her!"

In a flash, Sori whipped her body around and attached herself to Blank's. Burying her face into his skin so that her tears of embarrassment weren't obvious, she repeated over and over again, "Where were you? Where were you? Where were you?"

Blank didn't have time to answer her question; the ship gave a great and painful sounding groan before shifting to the left. Wrapping an arm around Sori's waist, Blank used a nearby door frame to steady himself so that the both of them wouldn't topple over.

"They're retaliating," he hissed in her ear, grabbing for her hand once the ship became somewhat steady. "C'mon – don't fall behind!"

Sori had only seen Blank move so quickly once before in her life. His rapid, sharp movements did nothing to calm her growing fear that they may not make it out of this alive. Being sure to dodge the staggering bodies around them, Blank led her to the bedroom, where most of the beds had shifted to the east wall. Gathering all the blankets and pillows he could, he pressed his palm onto Sori's back, pushing her as gently as possible onto one of the beds.

"Stay here, okay?" he ordered, his lips moving so quickly that Sori barely caught word of what he said. Then, without any warning, he began piling the blankets and pillows around and on top of her. "Don't move until I come and get you. Stay as compact as you can."

Ignoring Blank's demands, Sori reached out and grabbed onto his wrist. "Blank," she mumbled, the tears finally spilling over her eyes. "I'm scared. I'm so scared."

Chest heaving with his breaths, Blank took a moment to detach himself from making a comfort mountain on her body. With his pointer finger, he smoothed the hair from her eyes and cupped her cheek in his palm. "You're going to be okay. We all are. We'll get the princess out of here, get back to Lindblum, and I'm take you out to dinner. How does that sound?"

Before Sori had a chance to answer, an explosion sounded from somewhere on the ship, nearly knocking Blank off his feet. Hissing a string of curses under his breath, he placed a pillow onto her head and vanished from the room, slamming the door behind him. Another explosion, a series of screams, and the smell of smoke finally drew a blood-curdling scream from Sori's mouth.

Through her fort of pillows, she could hear Baku shouting orders to the other boys of Tantalus to find Ruby and to get on the stage to help Zidane. Most everyone argued against him, though, saying that they didn't want to die. At some point, the scent of burning flesh found its way into Sori's nose. She pressed her face deeper into the blankets, trying to cover it with the smell of Marcus' musk. It didn't do much; bile threatened to force its way up her throat.

All remaining hope Sori had was destroyed when she heard Cinna somewhere out in the madness yell, "We're going to crash! Grab anyone you can!"

Suddenly, something heavy and solid collided with her side. The blanket lifted and her face was pressed into Blank's chest once more. "Its all going to be okay," he whispered in her ear, obviously trying to fake a tone of calmness. "Everything is going to be fine."

"We're going to die!" Sori shouted against him, her tears smearing onto his skin. "We're not going to make it!"

"Shh, Sori."

She felt his hand trail up her back to her neck. For a moment, she thought he was going to stroke her hair.

"Everything is going to be fine."

A pop, and the world fell dark.


	2. Captured Ghosts

"Blank! Sori! C'mon, guys! Wake up! Please don't be dead!"

With heavy eyelids and a dull, throbbing pain in the back of her head, Sori's head lulled to the side. Everything smelled burnt and somewhere far away, she could hear the faint crackling of a persistent fire. As her eyes fluttered open, she peered upon the blurry image of some sort of heavily blackened face.

"Cinna?" she croaked; her voice was hoarse with ash and smoke.

Face almost completely covered in soot, Cinna released a lengthy sigh of relief and broke out into a wide grin. "I'm so glad you didn't die," he commented. The expression of happiness, however, faded in an instant as his beady eyes settled on the limp figure next to Sori.

Without needing any sort of explanation, Sori shot up, immediately regretting that decision as the room around her swayed. She pressed her palms to her eyes, waiting for the world to stop spinning, and peeked out from between her fingers. Blank lay motionless, his left arm dangling helplessly off the side of the bed and his mouth slightly open. Sori's stomach flipped as she peered down at the rustic color on the pillow underneath his head.

"No," she whispered in disbelief. Adeline surged through her veins. Blank couldn't be dead, there was absolutely no way. He wouldn't leave her like this, not when he was the only thing she had left. But there he was, resembling everything Sori had seen in corpses. "No, no, no."

"Sori, hey! Sori! He's alive!" Cinna cried out as her chest began to heave with her breaths. Just as Sori reached over to claw the belt from Blank's face, Cinna caught her hands and pinned them down to the bed. "Stop it! You're going to hurt him more than anything else!"

This didn't stop Sori from struggling against her friend. After a few moments of straining grunts and attempts to hold her back from Blank, Cinna released her and held his hands up, palms facing her.

"Y'know what? Fine. Check his heartbeat. I'll bet you fifty gil that thing is still pumping," he said in defeat. Long ago, the boys of Tantalus had learned not to restrain Sori for too long. Even during playful fights, she would eventually resort to digging her nails into their faces, biting at any piece of skin she could get a hold of, and aiming her kicks for the most sensitive parts of the boys' bodies. Sori wasn't much for a thief, but she made a damn good scrapper in tight spots.

Taking Cinna's advice, the panicking girl pressed her ear to Blank's chest. She tried to quiet her own breathing so she could hear, but her lungs seemed to betray her. Then, a soft noise caught her attention, like she was hearing it from underwater.

 _Thud-ump...Thud-ump...Thud-ump..._

"He's alive," Sori commented as she sat up straight, as if it was too good to be true.

Cinna rolled his eyes, reaching for a jagged piece of wood near his feet. "Really?" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I never would've guessed. Looks like you owe me some gil, Sori." He held the wood up so she could see the discolored tint smeared on its surface. "I think this is our perpetrator. Must've fallen on his head and knocked him out. I wouldn't worry too much; it'll take a lot more than a piece of wood to put Blank in the ground."

As if he could hear the sound of his name, Blank's mouth pressed into a thin line. "My freakin' head," he groaned as he rolled over onto his side, his back facing Sori. From this angle, she could see the source of the dried blood on the pillow: a narrow cut just left of the base of his skull. Her face grew hot with embarrassment; she'd nearly lost her wits for no reason. "What happened?" he questioned, yanking off the belt from his eyes to rub them with his hands.

Cinna face grew dark. "The ship crashed, Bro," he informed. "Its completely wasted; there's no way we'll be able to fly this thing outta here."

Reaching back to examine the crusted blood in his hair, Blank's eyes narrowed at Cinna's words. "Where exactly is 'here'?" he questioned just before a spark of realization lit behind his glare. "Don't tell me..."

"Yeah, we are."

Obviously they knew something that Sori didn't. While Blank prodded Cinna with more and more questions, they seemed to have forgotten she was even there, still slightly trembling, flakes of Blank's dried blood sprinkled in her palms, and eyes brimming with tears.

Apparently, the band members had been swept up along with the escape – most of them had been injured during the crash and two of them were missing. Zidane, as well as the princess and her stubborn knight, had also not turned up at the crash site. Rumors were already flying about with the survivors. Some were saying that they witnessed the ship crush Princess Garnet into two, some were saying they saw her and Zidane run off together, probably to elope. Nobody quite knew for sure, though, what had happened to them.

"Well, I'm going to go see if Boss needs any help," Cinna announced once he answered all of Blank's questions. "I wonder if that Black Mage is still with us. He'd sure be helpful."

Once Cinna had gone, Blank turned to Sori. "Are you oh – Why're you crying?"

"Zidane could be dead," Sori mumbled, her voice thick with suppressed sobs. "We barely made it out alive. The ship is trashed. I thought I was lying next to a corpse. Plenty of reasons, Blank."

Blank's eyes scanned Sori's face, as if he was looking for some sort of hint as to calm her down. "I'm fine," he said simply after a moment of awkward silence. "I mean, yeah, I've got a bit of a headache now and you know, there's blood on the back of my head, but at least it matches my hair color, right?" He let out a hoarse chuckle, trying his hardest to lighten the mood, but Sori wasn't having it.

"Where are we?" she demanded sharply. "And don't tell me you don't know because I know you do."

Reluctant to answer her, Blank took his time fastening his belt back over his eyes and standing up in a stretch. As he raised his arms high over his head, he let out a soft groan. "Evil Forest," he finally said. "Its rumored that nobody has ever made it out of here alive – Sori, c'mon, its just a rumor."

The description sent Sori into yet another spasm of trembling hands and heavy breathing. Blank placed a knee on the bed and cupped the sides of her face with his hands. "Sori, quit it," he said curtly. "We're going to get out of here alive, all right? I need to go check on everyone. Stay here until I come get you, okay?"

Without waiting for her to say anything more, Blank turned on his heel and left Sori alone in the bedroom, lost in her own obsessive thoughts that they weren't going to make it out of this forest. For a moment, she closed her eyes tightly, feeling the spot on her face where Blank and touched her with his own palm. Then, like a fire bursting to life inside her, she vaulted herself from the bed.

"Stay here, my ass," Sori whispered harshly to herself, wiping the nearly dried tears from her eyes. "At this rate, I'll _never_ get out of this place."

She yanked the door opened, revealing a sight that made her wish she'd kept her head down and listened to Blank after all. The members of the orchestra laid strewn about the common area, which at one point had been a large room. With the collapse of part of the ceiling, however, the size had been cut in half.

A faint groan of pain brought Sori's attention away from the destroyed room to a trumpet player nestled in the corner. A deep gash had ripped away at his trousers, revealing dark blood on his skin and the floor beneath him. It made guilt settle itself into Sori's gut. She could've easily ended up like this man, if it hadn't been for Blank. Making a mental note to thank him later, she continued up the spiral staircase and into the engine room.

"Glad to see you in one piece," Baku commented, pressing an array of buttons and grabbing hold of different types of knobs. He kept his back to Sori, making her wonder how he even knew she was behind him in the first place.

"Thanks to Blank," she replied honestly as she studied all the damage that had been done to the controls. A black, simmering smoke wafted up from one of the buttons. Any machinery on the inside of the airship was undoubtedly fried. "If it weren't for him, I don't think I would've made it."

Baku made a small grunt of acknowledgment. "That's usually how it goes with you two, ain't it?" he questioned. Sori could've sworn she heard a bite of ire in his tone. "Blank's always the one saving your ass. Never the other way around."

Sori's face felt hot with embarrassment once more. "W-Well, he never needs to be saved," she stammered awkwardly, slightly offended that Baku would even make a comment like that. "He's always been able to take care of himself."

Baku inhaled to retort, but was caught off when Blank's heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs behind Sori. "Move, move!" Blank ordered, nearly knocking her out of the way. Luckily, she caught herself on the wall before she tumbled over.

Moving like a whirlwind, Blank desperately searched the room for a tiny health box that Sori had never seen anyone use. It had been stashed away in the corner and long forgotten about. As Blank pulled it from its home, he formed his lips into an O and blew hard, coughing lightly as dust filled the air around his face.

"Blank, do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Baku snarled. With a look of annoyance written clearly on his chubby face, he watched Blank fish through what little health items Tantalus actually kept. The boys weren't much for taking care of their wounds. They simply rubbed dirt in their cuts and went on with their day.

Without even glancing at Baku – which was unheard of in Tantalus; Baku wanted his members to look him in the eye when they spoke to him – or turning to face him, Blank spoke with haste, "Zidane came back with that Alexandrian knight and the Black Mage. They're both infected with reproducing seeds – the mage more so than the knight. I need to get this to him before they sprout in his body." Holding up a vial of black liquid, Black swished it around cautiously.

Sori tried to picture in her mind's eye that poor mage with plant vines and leaves growing from his clothing. She imagined his pained screams and pleas for help. Goosebumps arose on her arms and legs – she was just thankful she wasn't in his situation.

As Blank passed Sori, he gave her a shielded stare that she knew all too well. He was wondering why she hadn't listened to him and stayed in the bedroom, but she knew that he figured now wasn't the time to scold her. Besides, Sori was filled with so many negative emotions over the Black Mage that she was sure she'd explode in return to Blank's annoyed grimace and tone of exhaustion.

Timidly, she followed him down the staircase and back into the bedroom. The Black Mage lay silent on the bed that had rammed into hers during the crash. Dread hit her gut. Did the seeds already sprout inside him? Was he already dead? Then, a shaking, elongated exhale came from the mage's mouth.

"You guys are lucky," Blank commented casually as the two approached the bedside. The mage opened his eyes – two giant yellow pools, full of nothing but fear and worry – and stared at them as if they were going to attack him. "If it hadn't been for Zidane, you'd both be dead. Some of the monsters in this forest reproduce by planting seeds in other animals. And when the seeds sprout, its hasta la vista: you become beef jerky."

Swinging his short legs over the edge of the bed, the mage shifted his weight uncomfortably. He clasped his gloved hands together in his lap and mumbled, "Um...a-am I going to d-die?"

Blank took a seat next to the mage and held out the vial. "No, just drink this," he said sympathetically. "Its a seed remover."

Sitting on the bed she'd hid on before, Sori watched the two interact. Without even knowing anything about Blank, the mage seemed to trust him completely. He took the vial and uncorked it. Not even giving it a moment of doubt, he threw the liquid back into the dark void that should've been his face. The seed remover disappeared somewhere into what Sori guessed must've been his mouth.

Blank watched him with the sort of expression he wore when he watched the younger children around Lindblum play in places that weren't so safe. At some point during Sori's time with Tantalus, Blank had unofficially become the neighborhood big brother. Kids constantly wanted to know how he got his hair that color, if they could play with his sword, or if he'd chase them around during a game of Avoid the Zaghnol, in which case Blank was _always_ the Zaghnol.

"What's your name anyway?" Sori spouted, catching the mage off-guard. His stout body jolted in surprise before he handed the empty vial back to Blank.

Intertwining his fingers in his lap once more, he answered sheepishly, "My name is Vivi." Then, he lifted his gaze to Blank's face. "Thank you for helping me."

"No problem," Blank replied, a wide grin growing on his face. "I'm Blank, by the way, and this is-"

"I'm Sori," Sori hurried to say. She absolutely hated when people disregarded the fact that she could very well introduce herself. "I'm his second in command and best friend," she boasted, shooting Blank a look that silently said, "Look, I can do this for myself. I don't need your help."

In response, Blank's foot shot out and collided with the bed padding near her leg, as if he was trying to actually land a kick on her leg. "And obvious loudmouth," he added, receiving a lighthearted giggle from Vivi. "Anyway, that stuff should take some time to kick in, so why don't you try to get some sleep? Sori and I will check in on you if you need anything."

Blank jutted his chin toward the door, wordlessly telling Sori to give Vivi some space. Sori bounced off the bed, flashed the mage a quick smile, and followed Blank out of the bedroom.

"Man," she groaned as she stretched her arms high over her head. "What I wouldn't do to be able to go back to Lindblum and sleep for a week straight..." Her voice trailed off, though, as she cast a knowing glance at the redhead's face. "You're mad."

"I'm just frustrated with you," Blank replied honestly. "I told you-"

"Blank, will you _please_ take that thing off your face when you're talking to me?" Sori griped, intentionally cutting him off once more. More than anything else, Blank positively abhorred being interrupted.

For a moment, Blank stood absolutely still, his mouth pressed into a thin line and his jaw locked tight. Then, he yanked the belt from his eyes, revealing the intensity of the daggers he was glaring at the girl. "Yeah, sure, Sori," he spat bitterly. " _Anything_ for you."

At her sides, Sori balled her hands into fists. Fighting with Blank wasn't something that happened very often, but when it did, it normally ended with Baku separating the two and usually scolding only Sori. Blank was always the favorite; first to jump when Baku said so and the last to get in trouble for anything. This had to be the one thing about her best friend that Sori couldn't stand.

She'd never been anywhere close to the favorite like Blank or Marcus. She'd always been given the short end of the stick – having to clean up after the boys, being used as human bait when they needed a distraction, and always seen as the one who couldn't hold her own, which was partly true. Sori was, for lack of a better word, useless in fights. She could barely hold a sword high enough to swing it, she was clumsy and often tripped over her own feet, and she didn't have much for a pain tolerance. Even the slightest of scratches brought tears to her eyes. The only weapon she could use, it seemed, was her mouth.

"Why are you so pissed at me, Blank?" Sori hissed, narrowing her eyes into a deep glower. "What did I do to you?"

"You don't listen to me," Blank explained with a sigh as if he'd told her this same exact thing a million times before. "The only time you listen to me is when you think you're gonna die."

Sori rolled her eyes dramatically, her mouth slightly hanging open. "That's about the only time I should listen to you!" she retorted. Words began to fly from her mouth before she had the chance to stop and think about them. "Half the time, you don't know what the hell you're talking about! You act so high-and-mighty just because you're older than me! You always think you know what's best for me! Have you ever thought that I can take care of myself? I'm not little anymore!"

At first, Blank said nothing. The only sound in the room was Sori's heavy breaths and the awkward cough of one of the band members. When Blank's head dipped into a quick nod and he took a step away from her, his hands lifting in surrender, regret slammed against her hard.

"Blank, I-" she started, but he cut her off.

"No," he said calmly. "You want to look out for yourself? Fine. I don't know what age has to do with anything, but the next time you're in trouble, don't look for me to save your ass because I won't be there."

Sori's heart felt as if it had shattered into a thousand tiny pieces as Blank walked past her into the costume room. He'd never said anything like that to her before, that he was basically leaving her and wanted nothing to do with her. Then again, she'd never said anything like that to him either. Things were changing between the two that had at one point been so inseparable and it scared her. Blank was her best friend, her savior, her hero. If she didn't have him, she didn't have anything.

"Tough break, honey," the coughing culprit muttered as Sori aimlessly sulked by. With a quick raise of her middle finger, she glared ferociously at him.

"Go to hell."

(!)(!)(!)

For the next four or five hours – nobody really kept up with time; even the shadows in Evil Forest were scarce as everything was covered in an eerie darkness – Sori attempted to keep her body and mind occupied by helping the other members of Tantalus drag dead bodies out of the ship. She made sure not to look at their faces. She didn't want to see the way they died written in their eyes or the way their mouths hung open in fear.

Sori had lost count of how many bodies she had dragged out after eleven. She didn't even realize that there had been so many people on the ship when they left Alexandria and she couldn't help but feel pity toward them when she came to realize that their burial ground would be this forest. Their families would never know that their loved one was dead or where they were. Sori thought this must be the worst way to come to an ending of a life.

Speaking of loved ones, Blank was nowhere to be found. Sori assumed he was holed up in the map room with Marcus, trying to devise a way out of Evil Forest. She imagined him with his familiar thinking face; brows knit together, his bottom lip ticked under his front teeth, his eyes darting about in staccato motions. Sori felt as if she hadn't seen him in years and she missed him terribly.

Feeling more exhausted than she had in years, Sori decided to give up her career of corpse handler and retired back into the bedroom. She opened the door to find Zidane and the Alexandrian knight huddled around Vivi.

"Am I interrupting something?" she questioned as she stood in the doorway.

"No, not really," Zidane replied slowly, as if she definitely was interrupting something. She met Vivi's wide stare and an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach.

Closing the door behind her, Sori questioned, "What's going on? Looks like you guys have a secret."

The knight raised an accusing finger in her direction. "That's none of your business, thief!"

Sori advanced toward the three, rolling her eyes once more. It seemed to be an action that she was doing a lot today. "Ouch," she replied sarcastically. "Never heard that one before. Anyway, I wasn't even talking to you, tin-can. _Zidane_ , what's going on?"

Besides Blank, Zidane was the only person in Tantalus who Sori found herself in the company of nearly every day. They'd always gotten along; Zidane always seemed to hold his amiable manners while Sori didn't exactly do the same. He tolerated her, put up with her fits, and even gone as far as to call her a friend. If Sori couldn't get answers out of anyone else, she knew she could with the blonde standing in front of her.

"We're going to find the princess," Zidane answered simply, as if he was telling her that they were going for a walk down the road.

Sori raised her eyebrows in surprise. "She didn't die?"

Pumping his fists into the air angrily, the knight nearly kicked at Sori. If she hadn't moved over a few inches, his steel boots would have clanged against her bare skin. "How dare you talk of the princess in such a disrespectful manner?!" he shouted, causing Vivi to flinch away from his voice. Seeing this from the corner of his eye, the knight cast him an apologetic glance.

"Shut it, Steiner!" Zidane barked, his russet tail flicking about angrily. "We already have a hundred problems on our plate. Your voice doesn't need to be one of them." After a moment of silence, the two men staring each other down, Zidane broke away and peered down at Sori. "Have you seen Blank? I've got something I need to ask him."

Sadness washed over Sori, like she was hearing Blank's words all over again. "No," she answered, avoiding Zidane's piercing, curious stare. "I haven't seen him."

Zidane let out a strange huffing noise. "That's weird," he said slowly, waiting for Sori to explain why she looked and sounded so downcast. "Well, do you wanna come with us then?"

Sori pondered on this for a spell. How would Blank feel if she left the safety of what was left of the airship? Would he become even more upset with her, or would he be happy to be rid of her for some time? As much as Sori wanted to say yes, she ultimately shook her head.

"I would, but I feel like I'd be more of a help here," she explained, forcing a smile onto her face.

Nodding in understanding, Zidane motioned for Vivi and Steiner to leave with him. "You're probably right," he said. "Well, be safe."

As the trio left, Steiner turned his head to look Sori up and down, probably trying to figure out where in the world he had seen her before. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of telling him that she was the younger noble in the front row of the crowd, so she stayed silent and lifted her hand to wave to Vivi, who gladly returned it.

Without the extra bodies, the bedroom felt exceptionally lonely and depressing. As if a switch had flicked in her mind, Sori suddenly found herself longing for an adventure with Zidane, Steiner, and Vivi. Before she could give herself the chance to change her mind again, she dashed after them.

As she reached the bottom of the ship, where the only exit was a newly blown hole in the starboard quarter, she slowed her pace to a stop. Blank leaned against the wall, one foot propped against the wood and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. The belt shielded his eyes, but his head leaned downward as it often did when he was in deep thought. Exhaling through her nose, Sori became much like a cat; light on her feet and careful not to bump into anything.

"Where are you going?" Blank demanded to know just as Sori was sure she'd successfully sneaked past him. Grimacing at her own lack of deftness, she turned to face the redhead.

"I'm going with Zidane," she spouted quickly, as if she was scared that if he actually heard what she said, she'd get into trouble.

"Why?"

Sori shrugged and glanced toward the hole leading outside. "I've already drug bodies out. There isn't much more I can do here."

"Here, then," he muttered, reaching behind him to grab the hilt of his sword. Holding it out to Sori, she stared at it confusedly. "Are you gonna take it or not? Do you expect to fight the monsters off with your bare hands or something?"

Sori opened her mouth to say no, she didn't expect that, but words escaped her. "I..." Her eyes lifted from the sword to the belt covering his eyes. "You're just going to let me go...out there...on my own?" she questioned in disbelief, paying caution to the way she spoke so he would hear her clearly.

"You're old enough to take care of yourself, right?" Blank responded with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm done watching over your back. Your mistakes are your own."

For the third time that day, Sori's stomach twisted painfully. She hated this new side of Blank – cold, dispassionate, distant. But she knew that she was the reason for it. God, if she could only turn back time to just a few hours ago and stop herself from opening her big, fat mouth.

Sori grabbed at Blank's sword, mentally noting that it felt lighter than all the times she'd messed around with it before, and turned her back to him before he could see the tears clouding her vision. As she ran from the ship, she tried to forget about Blank as best she could, only focusing on the muddy footprints in front of her.

(!)(!)(!)

Stopping to catch her breath at a clearing, Sori dropped Blank's sword to the ground and doubled over, placing her hands on her knees. She tried her hardest to push away the urge to vomit, taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth, but stomach bile and the food from the morning forced their way up through her throat. As she retched, she closed her eyes tight, pressing tears from her lids. If only she'd listened to Blank in the first place and stayed in the bedroom...

Feces, mud, and blood that belonged to both herself and deceased monsters clung her to clothes and hair. A large gash ripped its way through her trousers, revealing her bare leg and part of her buttocks. She was cold, hungry, and absolutely disgusted. She didn't want to fight anymore. All she wanted was a warm bath and a cozy bed, but she knew these comforts were long for her world.

Then again, there was a part of her – albeit, a small part – that was rather proud of what she'd accomplished on her own. At least four Fangs lay dead on the path behind her. At one point, she'd been ambushed by two at the same time and yet here she stood, alive and nearly well. Yesterday, she couldn't imagine doing something like this on her own, especially without Blank's help. But she did. Sori had survived on her own for the time being.

After being sure that she had gotten rid of everything that would come up, Sori grabbed for the sword once more and pressed on. Monsters became scarce as she traveled deeper into the heart of the forest, so she was able to follow the tracks left behind by Zidane and his party more quickly. Finally, she came to a secluded circular entrance, adorn with vines of nearly every color she could think of. The boot tracks led her right into it, so with a deep breath, she plunged into the darkness of whatever awaited her on the other side.

A scream just about broke through Sori's lips as she focused on the sight before her. A gigantic, thorny plant settled in the middle of the area, whipping its vines at Zidane, Vivi, and Steiner. An unconscious Princess Garnet lay tangled in vines behind it. Then, it donned on her that the vines extending out toward the rest of the forest were like veins for this monster, keeping an eye on its home at all times.

Every ounce of courage that had built up inside Sori during her trip to this spot disappeared in an instant as she watched a vine grab Steiner by the ankle and toss him aside like he was nothing more than a rag doll. She felt paralyzed in fear, unable to even lift the sword in the slightest. More than anything, she was sure she was going to retch again.

A bulky force pushed past her from behind and a flash of crimson blurred her vision for only a moment. "Looks like I made it just in time!" Blank exclaimed as he dashed at a vine, slicing through it with a different type of sword than the one Sori barely held onto in her hand. He cleaved the vine into two, nearly becoming trapped in the shower of yellow goo that spewed from the plant's wound.

The monster reared back in a pained shriek. This gave Zidane, Vivi, and Steiner a chance to attack with everything they had. In the meantime, Blank hurried to Sori and grabbed her arms tightly. It took her a moment to focus on him entirely.

"Blank," she whispered, her eyes flooding with tears once more, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. I lied – I can't do anything without you."

Even though Sori was convinced Blank was terrified out of his mind, he still managed to crack a lopsided smile. "Don't worry about it," he said, his voice like velvet in her ears. "Go back to the ship. Marcus found a way out."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Once we get Princess Garnet, I'll be waiting for you on the other side of the forest, okay?"

Blank sounded so sure of himself that panic didn't even rear its ugly head inside Sori. She simply nodded and uttered out a pathetic, "Okay."

Peeking back toward the fight, Blank pressed his palm on the small of her back and gently urged her toward the way she came. "Just keep running and don't stop to fight anything," he ordered.

Once she was on the other side of the entrance, Sori turned around to face him, only to find that the circle was shrinking. Without thinking, she lunged for Blank. Her body, she found, was too large to fit through anymore, so she pressed her hand through it to grab for him. On the other side, she felt Blank grab her palm, press his lips to the back of her hand, and force her limb back toward her. Then, he was gone.

As an act of desperation, Sori rammed the solidified wall. " _BLANK!_ " she screamed, taking a step back to go at it once more. The dull pain in her shoulder told her not to, that the stone wasn't going to break against her weight.

A warm, jittery feeling broke out inside Sori. Before she could realize what was happening, she was sprinting back to the airship, her feet moving faster than they ever had before. When monsters lunged, she didn't think – she just aimed her sword and jabbed for their mouths. Blood never touched her and she refused to give anything she killed a second thought.

(!)(!)(!)

"Do you think they made it out?" Benero questioned the next day. Sori rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the feeling of sand in them. Sleep hadn't visited her at all during the night; she had been too excited to see Blank.

"Yes," she answered automatically. "Blank said he'd be on the other side waiting for me."

Marcus nearly shoved past her as he trudged through the mud and damp, dewy grass. "Get a move on then," he snapped. He had never really been much of a morning person. "We'll come back for the Prima Vista later."

Following behind Baku, Sori made sure not to stray from the paths he chose. One wrong turn and she could easily end up back in the middle of Evil Forest. With her tiny strides, Blank's sword tapped against her buttocks rhythmically. From the outside, the forest seemed much smaller because the group had circled around completely in less than an hour.

"Oh, crap," Cinna remarked as they came across a stone pathway leading into the forest. "The entire thing looks like its petrified." He made his way toward what appeared to be a sculpture of a tree and rapped his knuckles on it carefully. "Yep. Definitely petrified."

Sori approached his side, feeling for herself the texture of the stone. It was the exact same material of the entrance that had separated her and Blank just before she left him. The spot where he had kissed her hand tingled beneath her skin.

"They had to have made it out, though, right?" Sori struggled to ask; her breathing was becoming more and more shallow with every word. "Right?"

Marcus, who had stumbled across a set of footprints leading from the forest, made some sort of annoyed grumbling noise. "There's Zidane's...and the smaller ones must be that Black Mage's...and those huge ones are definitely that asshole knight's..." From his crouching position, he stood up straight and shook his head. "Bro."

Sori nearly sprinted to him, stumbling over her own feet as she did so. She grabbed the front of his vest, immediately releasing it when Marcus glared down at her. "What's wrong?" she hissed. "Why'd you say that? What's going on?"

Marcus ran his palm over his tired face and took a step from the girl in front of him. "There's a pair of prints missing – the ones that match Blank's," he explained slowly, as if he were talking to a toddler. The sense of exhaustion only grew as Sori shook her head in denial.

"No," she whispered, bending over to inspect the prints herself. "They have to be here. He promised, Marcus. He _promised._ Maybe – Maybe those are his. They could be, right? He has big feet." Pointing to the set of larger prints, Sori had escalated to the point of panic in which she was willing to say anything to prove Marcus wrong. Her stomach began to churn in fear the way it did when she heard the airship was crashing just the day before.

Rolling his eyes at her antics, Marcus pressed the pad of his finger into the footprint. "See how far it goes down?" he snapped. "With his armor, the knight weighed more than everyone else. More than likely, he carried the princess out."

Sori unconsciously wiped her hands on her torn and tattered blouse. Sweat had accumulated quickly and a sudden burst of heat ignited inside her. Goosebumps rose on her arms, legs, and the back of her neck. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, watching as if she'd attack Marcus at any second.

"N-No, what if the knight ca-carried Blank?" she stammered. Through her blurred vision, she could see Marcus' lips moving, but she heard absolutely nothing he was saying. "Maybe Pr-Princess Garnet is st-still in there and-"

A heavy hand on her shoulder silenced her in half a second. "Sori," Baku grumbled from behind her, sending a shiver up her spine. He'd rarely ever used her actual name. "Blank is still alive. From the looks of the forest, everything inside is petrified. He's still alive in there."

Marcus turned from the two, placed his hands on his hips, and stared at the forest for a short moment. "I'm sure we can find a cure," he commented as he turned back to the group. Desperately, he searched for Sori's gaze, but she remained frozen, staring intently at the ground. "First thing's first, we need to get to Lindblum and start research."

Lifting his beefy hand from Sori's shoulder, Baku cleared his throat. "Marcus, you've got more brains than all of us. I'm leaving this up to you," he ordered.

Sori's eyes, full of tears that threatened to fall at any given moment, rose to Marcus' figure. At her sides, her hands balled into fists around her trousers. Her shoulders shook, not from the cold sweat sticking to her skin, but from pure rage and anger. "I'm helping," she announced, her voice thick. Studying Marcus' unconvinced frown, she raised her left hand to her face to wipe her eyes. "I've made up my mind. I don't care if you think I'll just get in the way, but Blank has been my best friend for ten years. I owe him all I have for everything he's done for me."

Although Baku let out a barking laugh that nearly scared Sori out of her skin, Marcus still seemed troubled by the fact that he wouldn't be attempting this mission alone. "Nice speech!" Baku complimented, patting Sori roughly on the head. "Now get rid of those baby tears and don't let me see them again, got it? Tantalus members don't cry!"

Trying to ignore the subtle, dull pain in her neck, Sori forced a wavering smile onto her face and reached back over her shoulder, grazing the hilt of Blank's sword with her fingertips. "Yes, sir."


	3. Burning Chocobo Feathers

" _THIEF!"_

 _A portly, brunette woman grabbed her young daughter's wrist and pulled her in close to her body. The child, a replica of her mother in every way except weight, let out a surprised squeal as a flash of scarlet hair dashed past her, holding onto what resembled a loaf of bread for dear life. Two guards, gasping for breath, chased after the thief and disappeared behind a set of dome shaped houses._

 _Shaking her head, the grimacing mother let out a disappointed sigh. "It would have been nice if Felicia taught her boy manners before passing," she remarked under her breath as she began to walk down the cobblestone path. "Come along, Sori."_

" _Mama, who was her boy?" Sori inquired as she jogged to keep up with her mother's strides. She slipped her tiny hand around her mother's blouse and gazed up at her chubby face with bright cerulean eyes._

" _Nobody, my love," her mother answered absentmindedly, eyeing a piece of jewelry as they passed a wooden stand. "We need to move along now. Papa will be home soon."_

 _Although she meant it as a reminder to herself to quit lusting over material objects, her daughter nearly jumped for glee at the mention of her father. It had been nearly a week since he left to work near the South Gate and she missed him terribly. "Do you think he'll buy us more food with his money?" she asked, turning her small strides into a playful skip. Ever so gently, she began to tug on her mother's hand, trying to quicken their pace away from Dali._

" _So full of questions today," her mother commented with a light chuckle._

 _As the sky grew dark and the lights of the village shrunk behind the two, Sori's anticipation for her father's return only tripled. After about a mile's walk through the grass fields and plantations, a humble cottage adjacent to a barn grew into view. Sori squinted her eyes to get a better look at her home. Normally when her father arrived home before his family, he would light candles near the windows. Much to Sori's dismay, the house stood dark and quiet._

" _Don't fret, my love," her mother said as if she were reading Sori's mind. "The day is not over yet."_

 _Sori's mood had fallen from elevated to entirely downcast in a matter of seconds, leaving her feeling slightly emotionally drained. Dragging her feet on the ground, she waited for her mother to open the door to their cottage before forcing herself inside. Sori eventually found herself in her bedroom, a diminutive space with just enough room for a bed and a clothing chest, and lit a candle in her window. As if she'd gone through these motions a hundred times, she sat on her bed and stared out toward the darkening fields, patiently watching for any sign of her father._

" _Sori!"_

 _The sound of her mother's voice caused Sori's head to shoot up; she'd fallen asleep sometime during her wait. Wiping the dried trail of drool from her chin, she nearly sprinted from her room, hoping to find her father waiting at the table. Unfortunately, the four seats remained empty._

" _Yes, Mama?" Sori sadly replied as she turned to her mother, watching her arms work in the water basin._

" _Could you please take that hay to the Chocobos, my love?" she requested, peeking at Sori from over her shoulder. "And wipe that frown off your face. Papa will be home soon."_

" _Yes, Mama."_

 _Sori grabbed the hay pile from the corner of the room and lifted it into her arms. Every time before when Sori had taken hay out to the Chocobos, she had pretended that the pile in her arms weighed tons and acted out a dramatic falling scene to rouse a hint of laughter from her mother, but this time was different. The young girl was in no mood for jokes – she simply wiggled the door open with her foot and made her way out into the cold night air toward the barn._

" _Rocky!" she called out as she forced the barn door open with her foot. "Skippy! Wanda! I have food for you all!"_

 _Instead of finding Rocky, Skippy, and Wanda in their usual spots, chirping eagerly for their nightly dinners, Sori found a dark shadow huddled in the corner. For a moment, she stood frozen in her tracks, her tiny heart slamming painfully against her chest. The shadow shifted slightly and Sori didn't hesitate to take a step back. Her left foot collided with a rake, sending her toppling backwards onto her buttocks._

" _Are you okay?!" a child's voice spouted. The huddled shadow extended upward, growing into a human shape. It was a tall, lanky boy with an expression of the utmost concern and an auburn mane of hair that illuminated like fire in the light that shone from the lamppost outside through the open barn doors. He advanced toward Sori, holding out a hand to help her up when he was close enough for her to stare into a set of emerald eyes._

 _Just as Sori reached out to grab for his hand, his face fell somber in an instant. He retracted his arm and took a few steps from her. Bewildered at the boy's strange behavior, Sori pulled herself to her own feet and dusted off her trousers. As she gathered the strewn hay that she had dropped in all the commotion, she watched from the corner of her eye as the redhead grabbed for a half eaten loaf of bread._

" _Oh, hey," she murmured as the pieces fell together in her head. "You were in Dali, right? You're that thief the guards were trying to catch."_

 _At the sound of her words, the boy held what was left of the bread closer to his body. From what Sori could make out, he seemed more worried than anything; his brows knit together to form a crease on his forehead, he pulled his lower lip closer to his front teeth to nibble on, and his skin seemed paler than just a few moments ago._

" _Why's it matter to you?" he snapped, the bread beginning to crumble beneath his tight grasp. "Are you gonna run and tell the guards? Tell me now so I can find somewhere else to stay for the night!"_

 _Sori's head fell to the side slightly. "Turn you in?" she repeated as if the phrase was foreign to her._

" _I-I was gonna repay the bakery lady, I swear," he stammered nervously. His eyes darted side to side, looking for another escape beside the door behind Sori's figure. "I even told her that, but she wasn't listening to me. She just kept screaming, so I took it and ran."_

 _It was as if Sori's mind didn't comprehend a word the boy said. "What's your name anyway?" she squeaked out, settling the hay in the corner with the others she'd brought on the days before. "My name is Sori and I'm almost six. If you're hungry, I can ask Mama to make some more supper."_

 _The boy hesitated for a moment, his eyes locked on the girl wandering from the Chocobos, to the hay, then back to the yellow creatures. "The name's Blank," he murmured as if his own name was something sinful to speak of. "I don't really want your mama to know I'm here."_

" _Why not?" Blank sure was a strange boy, Sori thought. "Are you scared that Mama is gonna tell your mama that you stole?"_

 _Other than the squawks of the Chocobos, silence fell between the children. Blank shifted his weight uncomfortably, staring down at his bare feet. "Um, I don't have a mama...anymore. I've been by myself for a long time."_

 _Something churned inside Sori's gut. She'd never imagined life without her mother before and now that she met someone who didn't have one, she wanted to cry for him. "Well, what about your papa?" she asked desperately, craving for some sort of happiness in Blank's life in the form of a parent._

 _In response, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Mother said he left before I was born. She even named me after him for some reason, but I got rid of it. Rather have no name than share a name with someone who didn't care enough about me to stay."_

 _Sori's lips trembled with words she couldn't think of to say. So many new emotions swirled inside her and she hated each and every one of them – pity for Blank, resentment for a set of parents who left him on his own, and fear of what would become of him after that night._

" _Sori?"_

 _Blank's body froze at the sight of the gigantic shadow behind the girl he was speaking to. Wiping at the tears building in her eyes as quickly as she could, Sori ran into a jump at her father, who expectantly caught her. His beard ticked her nose as she delivered a light kiss to his cheek._

" _Papa," she started, placing her hands on her father's shoulders to give herself a bit of distance as he held her with a single am. "This is Blank. He doesn't have a mama or a papa." When she twisted her head to motion her hand toward Blank, she saw that he was slowly backing away from the two, his teeth chattering with his trembles and the cold air filling the barn._

 _Sori's father lowered himself to a knee, setting his daughter on the ground. "Blank, huh?" he questioned, eyeing the loaf of bread in the boy's grasp. "Well, that's an unusual name. Are you hungry, Blank?"_

 _Blank seemed horrified to respond, but when he eventually did, he let out a soft, "Yes, sir."_

 _Keeping an arm around Sori's waist, her father lifted her once more, holding out his free hand toward Blank. "Come, then. My wife is making stew tonight. Tomorrow we'll have roast boar."_

 _Blank's wary eyes met Sori's as if he were asking her if this was okay. In return, she flashed him a toothy grin, watching gleefully as he slipped his tiny hand into her father's._

(!)(!)(!)

Sunlight peered through the cracks in the walls, shining onto Sori's eyes. They fluttered open and immediately shut tight again. She rolled over onto her side, yanking the blanket over her face, and tried to pretend it was still dark outside. It had been a restless night; dreams of Blank's face, each in their own variation, filled her mind as they did the last two nights.

The gigantic bell near the foot of her bed began to chime twelve times, forcing a groan of irritation from Sori's mouth. Noon had approached so rapidly, bringing along with it the stinging pain Sori felt every time she awoke in realization that her best friend remained trapped in the heart of Evil Forest as a statue. Today was different, though.

The surviving members of Tantalus had arrived in Lindblum late in the night before. Marcus had decided himself too exhausted to begin research at that moment and retired to the bedding underneath the makeshift loft that held the bed Sori slept in. Although there was another bed next to hers, she preferred the one closest to the wall – the one she and Blank often shared when there was a shortage of room for everyone.

How they had actually gotten to Lindblum seemed like a blur to the sleepy eyed girl as she sat up, rubbing her eyes roughly with her hands. She remembered falling into a lull of steps as she followed Baku down endless pathways, she remembered flashing an engineer a forged Gate Pass, and she remembered cramming into a cable car with everyone else. Everything after that, though, seemed like a drunken haze.

Prying herself from the bed, Sori peered over the edge of the miscellaneous pieces of wood that held the beds up. Marcus and Cinna huddled over the circular table in the center of the room, speaking low so they wouldn't wake her or Benero and Zenero, who were snoring loudly beneath her. Sori kept hold of her nightgown as she maneuvered her way down the rickety ladder and approached the men.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly, peering over Cinna's shoulder. They seemed to have been focused on an old, torn, dusty book.

Looking up, she saw Marcus staring at her with a look of disdain. "Couldn't you have made yourself decent before coming down here?" he snapped. Bags of exhaustion were apparent underneath his eyes; he must not have slept very well either.

Sori let out a heavy huff. Noon was much too early to be dealing with Marcus and his attitude. "Oh, pardon me, sire," she said with bitter sarcasm. "If I knew I'd be presenting myself to someone as highly as yourself, I would have-"

"Okay, you guys, knock it off!" Cinna barked, causing a snorting breath from one of the brothers in the corner. "If not for my sanity, then how about you two at least try to get along for Blank's sake?"

Hearing Blank's name on someone else's tongue made guilt wash over Sori. She knew that she wasn't the only one upset about the whole situation, but she felt as if she had more of a right to be angry and depressed over him than anyone else. He was her best friend, after all. If it hadn't been for him, Sori would've ended up homeless or worse.

"You're right," Marcus murmured, turning back to the book. Sori didn't expect him to apologize to her because honestly, she had no plans of doing the same for him, but the fact that he agreed with Cinna put a small smirk of satisfaction on her face.

Shimmying her way between the two, Sori peered at the book and all its markings. "Its a book about ailments and cures," Cinna explained, knowing full well that Sori couldn't understand any of it. Being a female and quite the opposite of a noble, nobody ever taught her to read. "From what we've read so far, we're going to Dali."

Just the mention of the place nearly sent Sori over the edge. As always when she became nervous, her palms began to sweat. "Dali?" she repeated. "Why there? There's nothing there but a few houses and a farm."

"There's a type of plant root there that we need. We can only get it there," Marcus explained. Then, as if reading each other's minds, the two men exchanged a wary look. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, Sori. We can handle it ourselves."

Sori shook her head, taking a step from the table. "Nope, I'm going. I told you before. I've made up my mind on this."

She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a short moment, and pictured Blank. If she had any hope of hearing him complain about pointless things ever again, she had to tag along with Cinna and Marcus. She opened her eyes, feeling incredibly small as the two stared down at her with doubtful expressions.

"Besides," she added, forcing a grin onto her face, "it'll be nice to see what became of my home."

(!)(!)(!)

"Now before we go, you're sure you have everything you'll need?" Cinna grilled for the tenth time as the trio exited the air cab to the Business District. The engineer flashed them an amiable smile and waved them off as they descended the stairs to the crowded streets.

Reaching back over her shoulder, Sori's fingertips tingled as they brushed the hilt of Blank's sword. "Weapon: check," she said. Her free hand lowered to the side pouch that Ruby had bought for her three birthdays ago. "Food, gil, childhood memories: check. Yeah, Cinna, I'm completely sure."

Paying no mind to the two at his side, Marcus stuffed his nose into a map that Baku had told them his father owned, and his father's father, and his father's father's father before him, leading to the unspoken question of, "Exactly how updated is this map if Baku is telling the truth?" Even without looking at the ground in front of him, Marcus deftly stepped over holes and fissures in the ground.

"Looks like we'll be climbing down mountains," Marcus mumbled as the rusty gate leading out of Lindblum closed behind them. Both Cinna and Sori let out a simultaneous groan; neither of them were exceptionally athletic like Zidane, Marcus, and Blank. Just the simple task of running through Evil Forest was enough to bring a dull soreness to Sori's muscles.

As the trio crossed the Lindblum Plateau, the men fell into their own conversation while Sori tumbled into thoughts of her own. Naturally, she pictured Blank's frozen face in her mind. Was he conscious? Did he hear anything? Was he hungry? If he could even still feel the sensation of hunger, Sori didn't even want to imagine how much pain he could be in. Hopping over a trickling creek, she pursed her lips together, wondering just how lonely he was. Part of her wished she would've never taken holding his hand for granted. Sure, it was just a small gesture, usually when he was leading her somewhere in a hurry, but Sori found herself longing to give up anything she owned just for a chance like that again.

Sweat trickled down Sori's back and between her breasts, sending a shiver up her spine. She let out an exasperated breath, shielding her eyes with her forearm as she peered up at the sun beating down on them. "We should've left earlier," she thought aloud. "I think we only have two or three more hours of sunlight left." Had it really been that long since they departed Lindblum? The journey had fallen into a blur of male voices and haphazard sounds of wild beasts and nature that Sori hadn't quite been paying attention. Besides, her mind had been elsewhere for most of it.

"You're the one who slept until midday," Marcus scolded, glaring sideways at her. "If you had woken up at a normal time like we did, we'd probably be at Dali by now."

Before Sori could open her mouth to lash back at Marcus with a witty, offensive comment, Cinna took over the conversation. "Anyway, as I was saying," he said loudly, obviously trying to steer the two away from anything that could end up in an argument. Cinna had grown tired of their squabbles years ago; he had absolutely no patience left for them when they started acting up. "I saw Ronna back in Lindblum. Didn't really have the heart to tell her about him..."

Like a work of magic, all the ill feelings toward Marcus were suddenly directed toward the person of topic. Ronna had been a girl a year or so older than Sori who worked at her father's pub back in Lindblum. Since the first time Tantalus stumbled their way into the building, Sori and Ruby trying to tame the drunken men, Ronna had kept her eyes on Blank. That had been a year ago and much to Sori's chagrin, Blank had been spending more and more time around Ronna than usual. Instead of playing off her flirtatious behavior as a joke, he had been returning the grins, the "accidental" brushes of their hands, and accepted her requests to see him later in the night more often than not.

"Sori, what's with the long face?" Cinna piped up, pulling Sori back to reality. "You look like someone just kicked you in the knee."

"I'm fine," she snapped. Avoiding his piercing stare that she could feel on every inch of her body, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest as if it would create a barrier between her and the two men.

"Looks like she's a little jealous that Blank pays more attention to Ronna than he does to her now," Marcus commented with a cocky smirk. Sori's eyes narrowed as she rested her gaze on him. He simply shrugged and stared off at nothing in particular. "I'm just stating my observations."

"Well, keep your observations to yourself," she hissed. "I'm not jealous. I just don't like Ronna as a person. Blank isn't the only guy she's meeting after everyone goes to sleep."

"Oh, so you're stalking her every movement now, huh?"

"I am not! Shut your fat mouth, Marcus!"

Sori had been so wrapped up in raising her voice toward Marcus that she hadn't even noticed Cinna had come to a stop. She slammed into the back of him, her cheek colliding with his shoulder blade, and stumbled backward. Ever so slowly, Cinna turned, taking a moment to glare at them separately before lifting his finger toward a drop off on the path before them. The bottom wasn't visible through the Mist that had been plaguing their continent for as far back as Sori could remember.

"I swear," Cinna said through gritted teeth, "the next one of you who starts an argument gets thrown off this cliff side."

Paying no mind to him, Marcus shoved his way past Sori and peered down. "Can't even see the bottom," he commented before glancing back at the map that had been rolled up in his palm the entire time. "We do have to go this way, though. Sori, why don't you jump and scream and we'll find out how far it goes down once we stop hearing a banshee?"

Up until this point, Sori and Marcus had held a sense of professional hatred toward each other. Unlike their behavior as children, they grew into silent glares from across the room and ignoring each other altogether. There had been a point where anything physical had come to a halt, mostly because Baku's fists made the two never want to fight each other again.

Now, something broke inside Sori that couldn't have cared less about her fear of Baku. Letting out a shrieking cry, she lunged at Marcus, her hands balled into fists. Before she even had the chance to touch him, though, Cinna sidestepped between the two, catching her wrists firmly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed, his bulbous nose nearly touching hers.

"Marcus – He's such a – And I –"

Cinna's grip tightened around her wrists. "Look, I get that you two hate each other, but the longer you guys waste time fighting with each other, the longer Blank is stuck in Evil Forest."

Sori suspected that Cinna knew the second he brought up Blank, all the walls would come crumbling down. Everyone in Tantalus knew how much she cared for Blank, but Cinna was probably the only person who knew how much she absolutely adored him. During the past few years, he seemed to be the only one catching Sori absentmindedly staring at her best friend, a hazy look about her eyes and a light blush kissing her cheeks.

"You're right, as usual," Sori muttered, releasing the opposing tension in her arms. Cinna studied her eyes, drew a deep breath, and released her, watching carefully as her arms fell to her sides.

"Let's get this over with," Marcus growled, starting his climb down the cliff side.

Cinna and Sori followed Marcus' trail in silence. Wherever he placed his foot, they made it a point to place theirs in the exact same spot. Rock after rock, vine after vine, Sori inched her way closer and close toward the two, her breasts barely scraping against gravel and tree roots. Her heart beat loudly in her ears in horror that she could easily miss a grab or a step and drop to her death. She turned her head to see where exactly Cinna was moving, only to find the two securely on the ground twenty feet below her.

"How did you guys get down so fast?!" she hollered, an empty feeling growing in her stomach. It wasn't far, but it was still a great distance from her perspective.

"You were just slow!" Cinna replied as he lifted his arm to shield his vision from the sun setting over the mountains.

The dread inside Sori only grew when Marcus stretched out his arms. "Just jump!" he ordered impatiently. "I'll catch you!"

Sori threw her head back to laugh, but nearly lost her balance. Her hands curled around a tuft of vines for dear life. " _Hell_ no!" she shouted. "You'll drop me on purpose, just like before!"

A deep groan escaped Marcus' throat. Was she ever going to let him live that day down? "I was twelve and it was funny then!" he barked. "Just jump! Trust me!"

Sori could feel Cinna's gaze burning into the very core of her being. Knowing he wasn't strong enough to catch her, Cinna wordlessly grilled her to jump, damn it, just jump. She tried to ignore the anxiety Cinna's stare was giving her and let out a long breath. The longer she stayed on this cliff side, the longer Blank was stuck in Evil Forest. Sori reminded herself of that over and over again, shut her eyes tight, and kicked back from the rocks and vines that held her in place. She was sure that everyone near Lindblum could hear her ear-splitting screams on the way down.

In an instant, the horrifying sensation of air through her hair and against her back was over. Before she knew it, her body collided with Marcus', who stumbled forward as she crashed into his arms. Letting out a pained groan, he fell to his knees, his forearms trembling against her weight. Biting down on her lower lip, Sori slowly peeled herself from his embrace.

"You okay?" she murmured halfheartedly.

"Yeah," he answered, peeking up at her through his lashes. "You're a lot heavier than you look."

Sori's mouth pressed into a hard line as she threw her hands up and stomped away from him. "You know what? I was going to apologize for hurting you, but now I'm glad you're in pain!" she hollered. Her eyes settled on two beasts fighting in the distance. They seemed too far away to see the trio, but her body still froze in fear anyway. The buzzing in her head completely blocked out whatever Marcus had retorted with.

"I wouldn't worry about them," Cinna reassured her as he helped Marcus to his feet. "They seem too busy ripping each other apart to pay any mind to us." Without another word, the trio carried on.

A small, rickety bridge proudly stood between the Eunorus Plateau and the King Ed Plains. As the group carefully took their time inching across, Sori glanced down at the rushing water beneath. Thirst dried her mouth and warped her tongue, but she knew better than to drink from the stream.

Blank had made that mistake once and spent the three days after curled around a bucket and sweating profusely. Sori grinned to herself at this memory. It had been one of the two times she found herself taking care of him instead of the other way around. Her nostalgic expression fell, however, when she thought that the situation she currently found herself in was the only other time. And this, she thought to herself, was much more dire than a stomach bug.

"Hey, remember when Blank first showed up with you?" Cinna asked, bringing her back from her thoughts. Sori frowned at his words, keeping her eyes on the approaching wooden gate before them. South Gate was their next destination. Dali wasn't too far now. "God, I still remember that stench you both had. Smoke and burning Chocobo feathers."

Marcus chuckled at Cinna's attempt to lighten the mood. Although everyone knew it was a horrid thing to think back on, the two were obviously trying to turn it around completely. "Ruby hated the smell," Marcus added. "I can still see the look on her face when she was trying to scrub it off you."

"I bet that was the only time you've ever seen a female naked," Sori quipped, hardly finding any amusement in this conversation.

"That's right," he replied sarcastically. "Man, I'd never been so turned on by a seven-year-old in my entire life, Sori."

Seeing where this conversation was going, Cinna shook his head, obviously disappointed that the two were beginning to turn it into an argument once more. Sighing quietly, he found himself wishing he'd taken on this quest alone, or at least with only Marcus by his side. The two of them together were proving to be a handful. No matter what he said, Cinna couldn't keep the two from wanting to rip out each other's throats.

"Hey, Sori, you've got our Gate Pass, right?" he questioned, hoping this would distract them for at least a little while longer.

Sori stopped in her tracks and leaned over slightly to dig into her satchel. She'd packed the bare necessities in such a hurry that a pang of worry hit her. What if she'd forgotten the Gate Pass? Everything they'd gone through so far would be for naught; they'd have to turn right back around and head back to Lindblum. Luckily, her fingertips grazed a small, rumpled piece of paper that had been through hell and back.

"Got it!" she announced. Before she could place it securely back into her satchel, however, she heard Cinna shout something unintelligible. With a panicked cry, Sori was hurdled toward the ground. Her head slammed against the soft grass and pebbles ripped away at the skin on her left leg. She scrambled to her feet, searching the ground desperately for the Gate Pass.

The thunderous roar forced Sori's attention away from the piece of paper that seemed so meaningless in comparison. Less than ten feet from her, Marcus was relentlessly battling with a large creature she'd seen warning posters of all over Lindblum. Carve Spiders, as they were called, were at least fifteen feet tall with a round behind filled with acidic liquid that could burn holes though metal. And yet Marcus wasn't even thinking twice about steering the monster's attention away from Sori. Looking close enough, she could see that Marcus had somehow gotten hold of the Gate Pass – he held it tightly between his lips.

With a nasally huff, Marcus charged toward the Carve Spider, narrowly dodging its claws as the beast tried to slash at his skin. In one smooth movement, he swung his sword upward, knocking the spider off its feet and onto its back. In defense, an ashen web shot out from the spider's backside, completely coating Marcus in its sticky prison. Entirely mummified, Marcus fell to the side. Cinna rushed to his aide, leaving Sori completely alone to take on the spider.

As it twitched to its feet, Sori reached behind her, grabbing for Blank's sword. Other than the beasts in Evil Forest, she'd never had to fight before. Even then, she was running on pure adrenaline. Her hands, trembling and sweaty, gripped the hilt tightly. If she didn't do this, they could all die, she reminded herself. Then, Blank would have no chance at escaping Evil Forest.

With an ear-piercing shriek, the spider lifted its two front legs, casting a long shadow over Sori. Every muscle in her body seemed to tighten and the world fell silent as she saw them coming down on her. As every movement around her seemed to fall into a sedated blur, Sori forced herself to exhale before lunging at the spider.

As she advanced toward the spider, she failed in her attempt to avoid its legs coming down on her. Nails like knives whipped at her arm. A dull, burning sensation grew around the wound, but she refused to stop. Gnashing her teeth together, Sori focused on Blank's voice in her head, repeatedly telling her to duck and charge. She gripped at the stationary legs with her free hand to try her best to keep them in place while digging her blade into the underbelly of the beast. Dragging the metal along its body, Sori made a point to avoid coming into contact with the pale green, steaming liquids spewing from the laceration.

With a pained scream, the spider fell onto its back, its legs curling in around it. Sori stood, watching the beast quiver until finally, it fell motionless. Only then did the cut on her arm begin to bug her. She dropped Blank's sword, covering the bleeding wound with her free hand. "Ouch," she whispered through trembling breaths.

"Damn, Sori, where'd you learn to fight?" Cinna complimented as he yanked the web from Marcus' legs.

Sori shook her head slowly, wishing the burning on her arm would go away. "Blank tried to teach me once when we were little," she answered, her voice tight with pain. "Never really worked out until just now."

Finally rid of the web, Marcus pulled himself to his feet and took the Gate Pass from his mouth. He made an incredulous snort and turned his back to the other two. "We should hurry to Dali," he sneered, "before her arm turns black and falls off."

(!)(!)(!)

"My arm won't really turn black and fall off, right?" Sori questioned Cinna once they'd reached Dali. Shaking his head slowly, Cinna kept his eyes locked on Marcus, who was too wrapped up in talking to the innkeeper. For the past three hours, Sori had been fretting over what Marcus had said, but didn't want to ask him about it. She knew he'd come up with some stupid comment instead of telling her the truth.

"No, he's just screwing around with you," Cinna whispered, watching with a long frown on his face as Marcus pulled a large amount of gil from his pockets and slid it over the counter top. "You know how he is." Unfortunately, this was true. Sori felt as if she could often read Marcus like a book, if she could read to begin with.

The trio retreated to the single room to the left. Four beds, two on each side of the room, filled most of the space. Sori wasted no time claiming the one to the immediate right; she placed her satchel on the blankets before nearly jumping onto it. Her feet ached with how much they'd walked since Lindblum and although the pain had subsided quite a bit, her arm still bothered her. While the two men spoke of their next actions, she dipped her skin into the drinking fountain near her bed. Cool relief flushed over her.

"Hey, I'm gonna go look around," Marcus announced. Sori turned her head to find Cinna already snoring loudly on the bed furthest from her. "If you leave, don't go too far."

Sori said nothing, but rolled her eyes in response. Marcus slammed the door on his way out, causing Cinna to snort and stir in his sleep. He mumbled something lowly, but Sori couldn't quite understand what he said. Deciding she didn't want to be stuck in the room with his noises any longer, she removed her arm from the flow of the water and stood in a stretch.

As she wandered the streets of Dali, she paid attention to how much the village had changed since her childhood. Long ago, it had been a superior trading spot; vendors from all over would flock to sell their wares. Sori mother would often buy her cheap toys that were broken the next day and in return, Sori would pick weeds, thinking they were flowers. Pretending to not know any better, her mother kept every single one, giving them homes within vases when they returned to her father's farm.

Instead of being the thriving village it once was, Dali had shrunken in size and friendliness. Houses had obviously been torn down and farms destroyed to make room for absolutely nothing. Sori could remember, clear as day, the smiles on the villager's faces as she ran up and down the streets with the other children. Now, they welcomed her with wary glares and whispered talk of Black Mages.

Sori's mind wandered to Zidane, Vivi, Steiner, and Princess Garnet. Where were they now? Were they okay? Had they made it to Lindblum? Guilt struck her as she thought of the princess' face. It was her fault that Blank had been caught up in Evil Forest. If they'd just sacrificed her instead of him, everything would be okay and Sori wouldn't be searching for a cure with two men, one of which she couldn't stand.

Gritting her teeth, Sori promised herself that if she ever saw Princess Garnet again, she was definitely going to get a piece of Sori's mind.


	4. Hidden Thief

" _Is he here? Can you see him, Mama?"_

" _Calm down, my love. Yes, I can see him. Its difficult to miss that hair of his."_

 _Sori shifted her weight onto her toes, her head barely poking out over the window. A pair of giant's hands curled around her waist, hoisting her higher. "See? Just as he promised," her father cooed into her ear. His beard tickled her cheek. "Right on time."_

 _Half a mile from the farm, a radiant redheaded figure advanced toward the family at a casual stroll. Squinting her eyes, Sori could see something on the figure's back. Nearly the size of the boy she'd been waiting so eagerly for for the past week, the stitched cloth sack bounced with his stride. Curiosity spread within her wildly._

 _As if her body had been struck by a series of seizures, Sori flailed her limbs about until she was placed back onto the floor again. With no regard to the scoldings and warnings of her parents, she retched the wooden door open and darted out into the heat of midday. Chocobos squeaked and furled their feathers as her tiny legs sprinted toward the boy; she'd never taken off so quickly toward anyone beside her father before._

 _Just as the boy opened his mouth to greet her, Sori launched herself into his arms, knowing full well that he wouldn't catch her; he'd never been strong enough to do it before. With a grunt of effort, Blank wrapped his arms around her frame, staggering only a few moments before allowing his body to crumple beneath her. Trying to ignore the pain from the impact, he forced out a somewhat believable laugh._

" _Let me guess, you didn't miss me at all, huh?" Blank remarked, chewing on the inside of his cheek to dull the pain in his backside. Sori scrambled from on top of him, her eyes full of confusion._

" _What?" she muttered breathlessly. "Of course I missed you! Why do you think I ran all this way?!"_

 _Blank shook his head as he pulled himself to his feet. In only a week, his hair seemed to have grown another two inches, Sori thought. "Sarcasm," he replied, swinging the sack from over his shoulder onto the ground. "That was sarcasm. Anyway, I know I missed your birthday while I was away, so I got you something in Lindblum."_

 _Trembling hands, skin and fingernails coated with dirt and dust, plunged into the sack. Sori shifted herself side to side, trying to catch even a small glimpse of what Blank could've been shielding from her with his body. After a few seconds of blindly searching, he pulled a small stuffed animal into her view. Sori let out a gasp of excitement; Mus were her absolute favorite. She'd been surprised that Blank remembered her absentminded comments about the sometimes dangerous beasts that were normally found around the Nolrich Heights area. Having never seen one in person, Sori relied entirely on pictures and tales to come to the conclusion that she would someday own a real one for herself._

" _Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she hollered, clasping her arms around Blank's neck once more to drive him back toward the ground. This time, however, he attempted to struggle against her, mumbling something against her skin that she couldn't quite understand._

 _A pair of thin, soft arms curled around Sori's waist. "What have we got here?" her mother questioned as she pried her daughter off the breathless boy. "Oh my, what a cute toy. Did you get that during your trip, Blank?"_

 _A proud smile growing wide on his face, Blank pulled himself to his feet and gave her a quick nod. "Yes, ma'am," he answered softly._

 _Sori's mother, who had been completely against the idea of Blank even coming close to her family, placed a hand on his hair, giving it a soft ruffle. During his time with them, her opinion had changed drastically. The more he proved that he wouldn't steal from the trio, the more she warmed up to seeing his face nearly every day around her husband and daughter._

 _Blank's hand disappeared once more into the sack. "I got something for you, too," he murmured, his cheek mushed against something solid hidden inside. The sound of glass clinging together sent a flash of panic across his face only momentarily. "It isn't much," he said, pulling out a cerulean vase, "but I figured you'd like it."_

 _Sori's mother adored vases of any shape and color, and curled an arm around Blank's shoulders and pressed her pink lips to his hair. "Thank you so much, Blank," she cooed, delight dancing in her eyes._

 _As the trio made their way back toward the house, Blank caught sight of Sori's father, who crossed his arms tightly over his chest. The two gave each other a nod of acknowledgment, each understanding the other without words being spoken. Not long into Blank's residency with the family, Sori's father got wind of the fact that he now housed a thief. Therein spouted a condition: that so long as Blank slept, ate, and grew under their roof, he would not steal from them. This, however, gave him free reign once he left their property. Whether they decided to turn a blind eye to it or they truly didn't know, Sori's parents had inklings as to where he was obtaining all these luxurious gifts._

" _I also brought a replacement bowl for, you know, the one I broke," Blank added reluctantly, as if he were expecting the woman to react the same way she did the day she heard her most prized bowl shatter against the floor._

" _I told you, my love," Sori's mother responded, "not to fret over it. Come now, let's get you two washed up."_

 _The aroma of salted meat and steaming vegetables wafted from the cottage as the family stalked closer. Blank's stomach rumbled ferociously; it had been at least a day and a half since he last lay his hands on anything even somewhat edible. Hearing the beast within him, Sori took his hand in hers. "Mama's been cooking all day," she informed him. "We've all been waiting for you."_

 _Something fluttered inside the young boy as he stared into the eyes that often reminded him of ocean waters. They'd been waiting for him, only him. He followed the girl who had become his very best friend in such a short amount of time into the bedroom they shared together. Sori had definitely cleaned up during his absence – he wondered if it was a demand from her mother or if it had been an act of willing._

 _Sori placed her new toy on the bed that she shared with Blank. Although he had insisted on sleeping in the makeshift cot in the corner of the room, the two always ended up together for warmth by the time morning came. They knew winter was not too far off. This meant the cot would be abandoned for at least three months in the approaching year._

" _So, how was it?" Sori questioned, watching as Blank moved about the room, setting his things in place and taking an extra glance at the crack in the window that seemed to have grown larger during his time away. "The trip, I mean, and the stay in Lindblum, and well, everything else."_

" _Fine," he answered sharply. That was always his answer to that question whenever Sori had asked before. "It was fine." She hated this answer; it gave a somewhat source of proof that there was a whole other side to Blank's world – a side that he wasn't planning on sharing with anyone, especially her, for a very long time. She wished that, just once, he would elaborate on his trips to Lindblum with more than just a "fine."_

 _Sori shifted her weight onto her other leg uncomfortably, giving the inner fleshy part of the inside of her cheek a gentle nibble. "Okay, well," she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest, "do you think you could teach me with the sword after supper? You said you would when you got back, remember?"_

" _Yeah, I remember," he said, forcing an eager grin onto his face. Sori narrowed her eyes into a fierce glare – she saw through this illusion, too. Blank wasn't a hard person to read._

 _After scrubbing the grime from underneath his fingernails and rinsing the dirt from his hair, Blank met the rest of the family in the kitchen, where the women of the household had already prepared the table. Once again, his stomach rumbled like thunder at the scents invading his nostrils and the sight of some sort of roasted bird and vegetables plated on the table._

 _Sori's father motioned for Blank to sit next to him. The boy accepted his invitation at once and plopped himself down next to the man who was nearly three times his size. Sori watched the two intently from the other side of the table as her mother dished up food on her plate. Her father leaned downward, whispering something quickly into Blank's ear. In response, Blank gave a short nod and a soft, "Yes, sir." Blank lifted his gaze, meeting the demanding stare of the girl sitting across from him, and immediately averted his eyes elsewhere._

 _Shoving food into her mouth without taking a moment to even breathe, Sori allowed her imagination to run rampant. Blank teaching her to fight was something she'd been looking forward to for days and now that the moment was nearly here, she couldn't focus on anything else. Underneath the table, her legs that had been dangling limply began to move in a circular motion. The closer she got to finishing her food, the more she found it impossible to sit still. Every time she and Blank made accidental eye contact, her heart began to race once more. It felt as if she couldn't eat her food quickly enough._

 _Unfortunately, time seemed to creep along in the exact opposite way for Blank. As if he'd only blinked, the delicious food in front of him had vanished and he found himself being tugged along by the hand toward the crisp air outside. The sun was beginning to hide behind the mountains, giving them an illusion of being set aflame. Knowing they only had about half an hour of visible and safe daylight left, Blank let out a rushed huff. It was bad enough that he had forgotten his promise to teach Sori how to defend herself (which really hadn't been a promise at all – she'd practically forced him into a corner and wouldn't leave alone until he agreed to do it). The last thing he needed was to be outside when the especially feral beasts came out to find prey._

 _For a fleeting moment, Blank pictured Sori as a target for said beasts and his stomach lurched painfully. As he handed a battered wooden sword to the giggling girl in front of him, a strange sort of warmness spread about him. He'd only felt this once before, when he'd held his mother's hand as she coughed and gagged on her own blood. He'd promised he'd save her and keep her safe and sound until his own dying day. Knowing he had failed the woman who was once his entire world, he gave Sori a gentle smile, promising himself he wouldn't fail this one._

(!)(!)(!)

"Sori?"

As if someone had just forcefully grabbed onto her wrist, Sori nearly jumped from her own skin. Without realizing it, she'd traveled from Dali and found herself mindlessly staring at the charred ruins of what used to be her home. Pulling her legs closer into her body, Sori turned her head slightly and shifted her weight onto the other side of her hip. The grass beneath her bottom felt cool and barely damp. She hoped it was just the temperature and not actual dew. It would only give Marcus even more of an excuse to laugh at her expense.

"Yeah?" Sori nearly barked. Marcus was one of the last people she wanted to see at the moment. If he could possibly find some way to restore the life she once had, then maybe it would be a different story.

Marcus approached her still, crossed his legs beneath him, and settled himself into a comfortable sitting position. "I didn't see you back at the inn, so I figured you'd be here," he informed her, his own eyes lingering on the pile of blackened wood and debris.

Sori didn't reply. What was she supposed to say? So, instead of retorting with some witty, offensive comment, she remained quiet and tried to ignore the fierce lashes of cold wind coming from Ice Cavern not even a mile away. Part of her enjoyed the silence they were sharing; it was rare that the two were in the same space and didn't find something insignificant to fight about.

"How long did he live with you?" Marcus asked, slicing the veil of silence that nearly put Sori to sleep. "Before the fi – before you came to Tantalus, I mean." Talk of the fire was abandoned in Tantalus. It had scarred the two of them so horribly that the first person to speak of it since it happened (Benero, to be exact) received such a beating from Baku that the topic was buried deep in the hole of secrets the group had dug.

Sori took a moment to think on this. It had felt much longer than it actually had been that she wasn't completely sure herself. "Two years, I think," she murmured. "You guys didn't even know?"

"Not in the slightest. He never mentioned you and we just figured he was away stealing things for us." Marcus let out a throaty chuckle. "Funny how it was really the other way around, huh?"

"Yeah, funny."

"And you never knew about us?"

Sori shook her head, the same wave of embarrassment washing over her the way it did every time this popped into her mind. While her parents were no idiots, Sori hadn't the foggiest idea that Blank belonged to such a group. She'd believed his lies that he was constantly away visiting a friend of his mother's. As good of a liar as he was, he also had a huge conscious; he had eventually broken down and explained to Sori's parents the double life he was leading. Nothing had changed in the family, with the exception that nobody told Sori.

"Everything kind of made sense that night he brought me to you guys," Sori explained. "I used to be so angry with my parents for keeping so much from me about him. I just couldn't understand why it was okay for them to know and not me. I guess it was just too much for a kid my age to understand."

Marcus groaned tiredly, like he hadn't slept in weeks, and stretched his legs out in front of him. Leaning back on his palms, he nibbled on the side of his mouth with the pointed tooth Sori often poked fun at. "That wasn't it," he muttered. "I think out of the three of you, he was more scared of you thinking any less of him than your parents."

This idea seemed absurd. So absurd, in fact, that Sori had to hold back an eye roll and a scoff. "My parents would never. They loved him," she pointed out as if she excepted the entire world to be aware of this fact.

"So did you. Hell, what am I saying? You _still_ do."

Sori's head turned so sharply that a spot on her spine between her shoulder blades popped. "Of course I do, Marcus," she spat. "He's my best friend and I-"

Leaning his head backward, Marcus opened his mouth in a frustrated sigh so loud that Sori immediately stopped talking. "Do you realize how annoying that is, Sori?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation. "You're constantly downplaying your feelings toward him by throwing out the best friend card. Have you even stopped to think about how he thinks about you? Everyone else can see it."

Sori curled her fingers tighter around her legs, her eyes locked on Marcus so intently that they began to water. "What do you mean?" she finally asked after a few moments of the silence she found herself longing for. This wasn't a conversation she wanted to have to Marcus. It only made her miss Blank more. The gnawing feeling in her gut grew with every word about him.

"You really haven't noticed, have you?" Marcus sounded genuinely surprised. "Remember when you first joined Tantalus and Zidane wouldn't leave you alone?" Sori wished she could forget those extremely awkward two months of a one-sided love and countless rejected date offers. "Or when you actually stayed the night out with that idiot actor. What was his name again?"

Groaning in embarrassment, Sori covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks. "Lowell," she admitted regretfully. "Why didn't anyone stop me? That guy was such a conceited jerk."

"Blank _did_ try, Sori."

(!)(!)(!)

 _The 'greatest night of Sori's life,' as Lowell labeled it, actually turned out to be one of the worst nights of Sori's life. Spending hours upon hours glued to a chair while Ruby worked her magic in the young girl's hair and face should've been the preparation for a wonderful night out with a man who didn't seem like the type to notice girls like her. He was a very well-known actor, after all, and Sori was, well, 'the raggedy girl who kept the company of no-good thieves.'_

 _Blank had warned her, sure. He knew better than anyone what kind of guy Lowell was. Blank had seen him on the streets of Lindblum, a harem of women of all different types hanging on his arms like they were nothing but items to inflate his head. Since the moment he found out about that Lowell had set his sights on Sori, Blank constantly reminded her that he wasn't the same type of person she liked. Unfortunately and very annoyingly, Sori's rebuttal was always the same._

" _I'm fourteen, Blank," she'd gripe. "Most girls my age are married by now. They don't even get to pick their husbands."_

 _Reasonably and sternly, Blank's argument was also always the same._

" _Well, Sori," he'd hiss through gritted teeth, "you don't have to be like most girls, you know."_

 _She should've listened to him. In the dim lighting of the banquet hall, Sori leaned her cheek into her palm, being cautions to not place her elbow in the bowl of mushy soup in front of her. Lowell had not stopped talking since they sat down two hours ago. He had even ordered for her, claiming that he knew exactly what kind of fine cuisine she would like because he had tried nearly everything during his worldly travels. So far, Sori had wanted to spit out every bit of food that had touched her tongue._

" _Honestly," Lowell murmured after swallowing a mouthful of food, "I just can't understand why such a pretty woman such as yourself lives in such a pitiful shack. I was absolutely horrified when I picked you up. And don't get me started on that group of beasts that met me at the door. I mean, the one with the tail must not know who I am. He was just downright crude. Don't even get me started on the redheaded swine-"_

 _The scraping of the wooden chair legs against the floor cut Lowell's words in half. Sori jumped to her feet, nearly knocking the table over in the process, and doubled her fists at her side. "I'm sorry?" she squeaked, trying not to push her anger through to her voice._

 _Lowell gazed up at her after glancing around to see who was watching. Every customer had fallen silent and turned their heads toward the two. "Sit down, Sori," he ordered sharply. "You're making a scene."_

 _Hands curled so tightly at her sides that her knuckles began to ache, Sori scanned the room. Lowell was right; she definitely was making a scene, but goddammit, he should've kept his mouth shut. He could drag her to the worst date she'll probably ever have and she'd sit through it, but how dare he speak about Blank in such a way? That was where Sori drew the line._

" _I don't...," she muttered, trying to control the slight shaking throughout her body. "I don't feel very well, so I'm going to go home."_

 _Confusion flashed across Lowell's face before he decided it was best to stand as well, as to not give the impression that Sori was talking down to him. "Allow me to grace your presence back to your shabby hole," he demanded, placing his cloth napkin back onto the table._

" _No, thank you," Sori hurried to spew. "I can walk myself." She swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the bile in her mouth that had risen at the idea of her next words. "I had a great time tonight." Without waiting for a reply – although Lowell did yell in agreement with her at her backside – Sori rushed from the restaurant and stomped her way back toward the hideout, pure hatred for the jackass rising inside her with every step she took._

 _Darkness greeted her when she stepped through the arched entrance. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She was too worked up to sleep; all she wanted to do was vent to somebody about how much of an idiot Lowell was. Trying to keep her noise to a minimum, Sori began retching the clothes from her body, the makeup from her face, and the silly decorations from her hair. It would be too soon, she decided, if she ever saw that pathetic excuse for a man again._

" _Sori?"_

 _One leg half-way in her dress, Sori glanced up through her rat's nest of hair at the dim candle light approaching her. "Blank," she breathed, relieved that it wasn't another of the boys witnessing her naked break down. "I thought everyone was asleep."_

" _Everyone is," Blank replied, his eyes locked onto hers. "Except me. I figured you wouldn't be out late, so I've been waiting."_

 _Unlike the other boys who often peeked when Sori was naked, Blank did the opposite. Loyally, he kept his gaze on her face. It was almost as if the rest of her body didn't exist. He'd seen her naked before, sure, and she had seen him naked. It didn't phase the two, though. The awkward after-effects had never reared their ugly heads._

 _Desperately looking through the piles of clothes haphazardly thrown about the floor, Sori's eyes moistened with tears. "You were right," she admitted, her voice strained. "Lowell is a complete ass. All he did was talk about himself. Do you know how many times he asked me anything about me? None. That's how many. Wait, no, that's not true. He wanted to know why I kept myself in the presence of people like you and I just-"_

 _Strong arms circled her body, goosebumps rose on her skin, and the scent of Blank's hair sneaked into her nose. Only then did Sori realize she had started a series of crying rambles. Through her tears, she focused on the blurry outline of the candle Blank had set on a nearby table._

" _You can wear some of my clothes, okay?" he offered. "Also, Cinna took your bed for the night. You can use mine." His arms pulled her in tighter for a moment before letting her go. "I'm sorry you had a terrible night."_

" _No, you're not," Sori replied, slipping her hand into his. Blank didn't reply, but as they started toward the pile of clothes that belonged to him, Sori could've sworn she saw the tiniest smirk on his face._

(!)(!)(!)

"Hands down, the worst date I ever had," Sori admitted with a small smile. The sun was beginning to set now. Over the top of the charred pile in front of them, the sun made it seem as if everything was aflame yet again.

Her body felt tired, as if she'd aged twenty years from the time they'd left Lindblum. Her knees and ankles ached, and her wrists popped quietly as she sat upright from leaning on them. Underneath her eyes, Sori was absolutely sure that bags of exhaustion were forming if they weren't already there. It almost seemed as if she hadn't slept since Blank had been petrified.

"That was the only date you ever had," Marcus teased. A sad reminder, true, but Sori never wanted a repeat of her night with Lowell. Not that she had been asked on many other dates, but when the opportunity arose, she wasted no time turning them down.

Sori attempted to retort to his comment with a fierce glare, but it only ended up in a pair of equally amused grins. "Did you find what we came here for?" she asked, reluctant to change the subject. This was the best she had ever gotten along with Marcus, but she was aware that all good times must eventually come to an end.

Marcus shook his head and, his tone completely changed, replied with an ashamed, "No." He pressed his lips into a thin line and let out a heavy sigh. "I spent so much time asking around. Most of the locals had no clue what I was talking about. The old man who lives at the base of that hill" – he jutted his chin toward the weather vane mountain – "said there's a noble in Treno who recently bought a vile of it at the auction house. We'll stay in Dali tonight and head that way in the morning."

Deciding that the next day couldn't come quickly enough, the two set back for Dali. On the way, Marcus stopped by a lonely vendor and purchased a few snacks for the road, knowing full well that Cinna would tear through them the second he laid eyes on them. To avoid a future starving member of the trio, Marcus told Sori to take as many delicacies as she'd like. Unsurprisingly, she didn't object to this.

Cinna's snores still echoed on in the small room they had purchased earlier in the day. Trying to ignore the dull, throbbing pain throughout her body, Sori settled herself into the bed she'd claimed as her own and closed her eyes tight. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't help but feel disappointed that it would take even longer to cure Blank. Marcus seemed hopeful, though, that it wouldn't be long.

After hours of tossing and turning and imagining Blank's arms around her once more, Sori pulled the blankets over her head and finally fell into a nightmarish sleep.


	5. Chasing Cable Cars

" _The barn! The farm! The poor Chocobos!"_

" _Grab anything you can! Sori, you stay here and wait for us!"_

 _Sori, legs trembling at the sight of her home in flames, watched her parents' figures disappear into the billowing, black smoke tumbling from the windows of her home. They'd only been gone in Dali for a few hours. How could this have happened during their absence?_

 _The Chocobos seemed okay; Sori saw them sprint for their lives from the corner of her eye. Without a doubt, she knew that that was the last time she'd ever see them again. The fire seemed to have started from the barn; the building no longer stood high over her head. Instead, it had fallen to nothing more than piles of still crackling wood. Her bedroom window had been shattered and decorated with freshly charred, blackened wood and shards of glass._

 _Sori prayed Blank hadn't been inside, caught in the roaring fire. She pictured his face, a shrieking wail flying from his usual grinning mouth, as the flames melted away his skin. Even if he hadn't been there in the beginning of the chaos, he surely must have gone inside for any valuables or the family themselves._

 _The idea of Blank burning for her or her family was too much to bear. Ignoring her father's demand, Sori took off toward the fire, desperately calling for her parents and her best friend._

 _Inside the flames, the house had become nearly unrecognizable. Embers had eaten away at the wood, leaving behind only empty hallows just waiting to collapse at any given moment. What little furniture Sori's family had owned had been reduce to piles of ash._

 _The second Sori found herself in the center of what was once her home, smoke invaded her body. It scratched at her eyeballs, it crawled into her lungs, and the stench of it stained her hair. With a retching cough, she dropped to her knees, gasping for air._

 _A loud cracking noise sounded from above her. Following the warning, part of the ceiling slammed onto the floor, just barely missing her fingers. Gathering as much clean air as she could, Sori let out a pathetic attempt at a scream for help, hoping her mother or father or anyone would hear her._

 _Two firm hands circled around her waist and yanked her to her feet. Clumsily, Sori leaned against a solid figure – a body, though she couldn't be sure who it belonged to until a voice shouted over the sound of the crackling wood. "We have to get out of here, Sori!" She'd never been so relieved to hear Blank's voice._

 _Hurrying Sori along, all the while be cautious to keep her from any flames, Blank trudged her through the house, praying that her vision would be too blinded to notice the charred remains of her parents huddled together on the floor. He kept her nose and mouth covered with one of the cleanest rags he could find. If Sori was lucky, it would serve well enough to keep any more tainted air from entering her lungs._

 _Something hard and sharp grazed the girl's leg, striking her as quickly as lightening would. Yelping in pain and surprise, Sori pushed herself from whatever it had been just in time to shiver at the feeling of blood, warm and sticky, trail down to her ankle. As much as she wanted to keep pace with Blank, she couldn't help but slow to a struggling limp._

" _You're okay! We're going to be okay!" Blank called, his hand forcefully urging her forward as he lingered near her backside. For a moment, Sori thought, she could hear tears thickening his voice._

 _Finally, as the two escaped the suffocating home, crisp and fresh air whipped against Sori's face. With a greedy inhale, she pulled in as much as she could while trying to hold back her sobs. Vision blurred and leg in constant scalding pain, she could do nothing but scurry toward the ghostly images of a group rushing toward them._

" _Take her!" Blank ordered as he gave Sori one more heavy shove. Just before she could trip over her own feet, a figure, as tall and as bulky as a mountain, reached down to pick her up with ease._

" _Gotcha," the figure murmured, his voice gruff and stern. Though he meant to sound as calming as possible, Sori began to panic. She hoarsely screamed and thrashed against him for only a few moments before falling limp against him. She was nothing but a rag doll in his arms and she knew she was accomplishing nothing but tiring herself out._

" _Blank?" a younger, slightly masculine voice called with urgency. "Oh, damn! BLANK!"_

" _Be careful with him!" another boy responded. "His skin is...is..."_

" _You're wastin' time!" As the man shouted at the two, Sori flinched away from the vibrations she felt against his chest. "Get your asses to Lindblum NOW!"_

 _Burying her face into the man's clothes, Sori use the fabric to muffle her cries of hysteria. This had to be some sort of nightmare – all of it. Once she woke up, she stubbornly believed, everything would be as it were. Her parents would still be at her side, the farm would still be standing, and Blank...He wouldn't be hiding his sobs behind strange moans and disturbing squeals._

 _At some point, the bouncing of the man's strides and the indistinguishable chatter from all around must have lulled Sori, because when an alarmed, high-pitched voice rang only inches from her ear, she jolted in surprise. "Oh my sweet stars!" There was a hint of an accent in those words, though Sori couldn't quite pick up on it._

 _As the man took his time steadying Sori on her feet, something blue and floral smelling moved about in front of her curiously and with great caution. "Ruby," the man hissed sharply, "take her and get her washed up. Mind the cut on her leg."_

" _And Blank?"_

" _Take her."_

 _A soft hand curled around Sori's forearm, which she pulled away from without hesitation. "Where's Blank?" she snarled between hiccups, grasping backward for the man who was no longer there. "I want Blank. Where is he?"_

 _The hand seemed so persistent on touching her. Blinking rapidly, Sori forced the remaining tears and debris from her vision until she could well enough see the blonde girl in front of her. A gigantic blue bow rested atop her frazzled head of hair, the kind Sori remembered seeing in shops her mother took her to. Forcing a gentle, yet terrified grin onto her face, the girl, Ruby, gave Sori a calming pat on the arm._

" _Don't you worry your sweet little heart," she reassured. "Blank's a tough kid. Always has been."_

 _Before Sori ha a chance to react to a tortured, ear-splitting scream echoing from another room, Ruby whisked her away to a washing room, decorated with two wooden tubs and piles of sour smelling clothes. As Ruby helped her undress and settle into the nearest tub, Sori could only stare forward, straining to hear any more cries._

" _The boys are fixin' him right up," Ruby repeated as she washed the soot from Sori's bare skin and tended to her cut. "He'll be just fine. You'll both be just fine." Something about the way she said it over and over again made Sori wonder who exactly she was trying to convince._

 _Sitting naked and vulnerable, Sori felt weightless, like there was nothing inside her to keep her grounded. She lifted her exhausted gaze and studied the girl in front of her, who furiously poured small buckets of water down Sori's arms._

 _There were tears of Ruby's own brimming her warm amber eyes. She, herself, seemed to have entered her own world; a crease of worry and determination had formed between her narrow brows, and every so often, her nostrils would expand with a quick sniffle. Though she couldn't have been any older than ten, Sori thought sh looked as old as her mother had._

" _Where are we?" she managed to croak out as Ruby lifted her from the tub by her arms._

 _Grabbing for a clean, dry rag, Ruby carefully ran it down Sori's arms, legs, and back. "The hideout in Lindblum," she answered in a whisper, as if she were telling a secret – as if she were telling Blank's secret._

" _Can I see him?"_

" _Who, darlin'?"_

" _Blank."_

" _Oh, I don't know if-"_

" _Please?"_

 _Ruby let out a heavy sigh and finished pulling the blouse down over Sori's head. "Let's get you dressed first."_

 _The moment Sori found herself fully clothed, the world around her slowed. Ruby took her hand and continued to confirm that everything was going to be okay. As much as she wanted to believe that were true, Sori allowed the words to flow in through one ear and leave through the other._

 _Entering a cluttered room sporting a thick, metal bell, Sori's feet came to a stop as she gazed upon a trio of very odd-looking people. With faces like the cows back at the farm, they turned their heads to narrow their yellow eyes at Ruby. "Don't give me that look!" Ruby snapped, her hand tightening around Sori's for a fleeting moment. "She has a right to see him!"_

 _After a chatter among themselves, the cow people nodded to each other and scurried off in different directions. What they had been huddled around was a very poorly constructed circular table supporting something that could have been a body at some point. Sori took a step closer to give herself a better look and immediately found regret rising within her._

 _Raw, bloody meat stretched out from underneath charred skin, covering his right arm and leg. Some sort of white paste had been applied to the same severity of the wound across the upper left corner of his face, giving off a low hissing noise. Though he was hardly recognizable, as soon as Sori shifted her gaze to the singed tufts of scarlet hair, she knew everything had finally been taken from her. Her home, her parents, her best friend..._

 _She heard Ruby yelling for help, she felt her legs give out, and she was fully aware of the alarmed expressions of the faces that stared down at her._

 _That is, until the darkness swallowed her whole._

(!)(!)(!)

Sunlight poked at Sori's eyes, and although it left her feeling slightly annoyed, she was more relieved than anything. Sitting up, she wiped the cold sweat from her face and took a moment to catch her breath. Their departure from Dali could not come quickly enough.

A low hush of voices brought Sori's attention toward the opposing corner of the room. Cinna and Marcus had been awake for hours before Sori had stirred and they had taken advantage of the early morning to discuss their next moves. Seeing her come around, Cinna's face broke out in a sheepish grin.

"Look who's finally up," he teased. "Sounded like you were having a hell of a time sleeping, though. Bad dream?"

Rubbing the sides of her temples, Sori closed her eyes and dipped her head in a small nod. A dull headache was already beginning to throb behind her eyes. "Yeah," she admitted. "First one in a long time."

"Well, we have some good news," Marcus offered, his mouth full of flavored bread. He tossed a slice to Sori and chuckled when she fumbled to catch it. "Turns out, Cinna can reach Lindblum more easily with the same cable car station we're going to use to get to Treno."

Her cheeks stuffed with the sweet bread, Sori raised her brows and let out a noise of approval. It certainly was good news; the sooner Cinna could return to Lindblum to give the message to the rest of Tantalus that there was a new lead on curing Blank, the better. "We should probably get moving then," she suggested after swallowing. The boys gave a simultaneous nod of agreement.

As the trio left the odd, seemingly shrinking village of Dali, Sori kept her eyes forward. Her gaze remained tempted to stray from the path in front of her and toward the remains of her home, but every time she considered it, snippets of her dream popped back into her thoughts. She knew there was no way to rebuild the life she once lived.

"Blank's a bit weird sometimes, isn't he?" Cinna's voice, not as quiet as he was obviously trying to make it, yanked Sori back to reality. "I mean, if a girl like Ronna wanted in my bed, the last thing I'd do is decline her."

Just like that, Sori's optimistic mood plummeted.

As much as she wanted to be exactly like Ronna, her heart burned with ire every time she noticed the older woman purposefully bumping into Blank or winking at him from across the bar. Sori often found herself tangled in internal battles, deciding if she truly had any real reason to hate Ronna, or if it was just her jealousy getting the better of her.

Nearly knocking her from her feet, Marcus gave Sori a quick nudge with his shoulder, distracting her from her bitter thoughts. "Maybe he's just holding out for someone else?" he suggested to Cinna. Conspicuously, as Sori tilted her head upward to look at his face, a knowing smirk grew on his lips. Exhaling a sharp, yet amused scoff, Sori rolled her eyes, returning the nudge.

It seemed as if Marcus had always known things that Sori didn't, especially when it came to Blank. Before, it would irritate her. She and Blank were best friends, after all. Not Blank and Marcus. Now, something had changed between her and Marcus. Had it just been their small, seemingly unimportant conversation back at the ruins of her old home? Or was it that the two of them finally had the same goal in mind: saving Blank's life? Whatever it was, knowing that Marcus had more insight to Blank's mind didn't bother her as much, especially if he was developing the habit of dropping subtle hints.

Fortunately, the South Gate was only a half hour walk from Dali. Ten minutes into their journey, Sori's stomach had begun to rumble. The flavored bread she'd nearly inhaled before didn't sustain her long, and with Cinna's constant rambling of his favorite flavors of bundt cakes, she found her mouth watering.

After flashing the conductor their Gate Passes, they settled into the worn leather seats and took a moment to relax. Sori shimmed closer to the window, her left leg bouncing with eagerness as the conductor shouted, "Next stop: Summit Station!" and a thunderous whistle sounded. With a shifting rumble, the cable car began to move, slow at first but gradually gaining speed.

"So," Marcus started, leaning back in his seat across from Sori and lacing his fingers together behind his head, "how're you going to tell him?"

"Tell who what?" This new side of Marcus still baffled Sori. He met her gaze with an amiable stare instead of the harsh, hostile glares she had grown accustomed to. There had always been a barrier between them, whether it be their arms crossed or stances in a way that would prove easy to defend themselves if the other attacked. They were so relaxed with each other now and Sori knew that it would take some getting used to.

"Blank, and that you're hopelessly in love with him and that he should marry you instead of Ronna." Marcus followed his exaggerated comment with a teasing pucker of his lips. Though he meant it as a joke, Sori's mind became stuck on the idea of Blank and Ronna as a married couple. She took a moment to glance at Cinna, who had struck up a conversation with an elderly woman about bundt cakes on the other side of the cable car.

"They're getting married?" Sori whispered, trying to ignore the feeling of emptiness in her gut.

Marcus responded with a light shrug. "Possibly. I know Ronna's father was talking of it. She's of the age to be wed soon, just like you are."

The idea of marriage had always put Sori off. She knew that she should have already found a husband and started a family by now, but there hadn't been anyone who stick out for her the way Blank did. Even so, she never truly considered the thought of marrying him until Marcus mentioned it. Aside from being disinterested in almost everyone, Sori couldn't picture herself as a wife who tended to the house and raised children. Tantalus was her life – it was everything she knew. It would take a lot of work to turn a thief into a doting wife and loving mother.

"I'll just tell him when the time is right," Sori responded slowly, unsure of how to correctly answer Marcus' question. Apparently this wasn't quite what he wanted to hear; he gave a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly, turning his attention toward the passing mountains and grassy plains.

"Summit Station! Summit Station!"

Wheels screeching to a halt, the cable car hissed as smoke bellowed from the engines. The ride had seemed as though it had only lasted a few minutes, when in reality it had been close to an hour. Sori stood, raising her arms high over her head in a stretch, and let out a soft yawn. Though the bed she'd slept in back in Dali was comfortable, her dream had kept her from getting a good nights rest. As Sori made her way toward the exit, she gave the conductor a nod of thanks for his service.

Summit Station was a busy area, populated mostly with construction workers who grumbled under their breaths as they made their way toward the cable car headed for the South Gate. Sori noted, as she listened in on their complaints, that there had been an accident and a gate needed immediate repairs. She didn't linger on it too long; a sweet scent wafted into her nose and turned her attention a secluded part of the station, filled with vendors and places to enjoy different foods. Cinna had already sprinted toward a certain vendor, mumbling to himself about bundt cakes.

"He's going to miss his ride," Marcus commented, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Ah – Sori! Not you too!"

Much to his chagrin, Sori had mimicked Cinna's trail. She stood behind him in line to buy a cake, lifting herself to her toes to peer over his shoulder. Behind a glass display, dozens of small cakes in all shapes and colors, decorated with festive frosting, stood proudly. Whoever made them obviously put a lot of time and effort in them, and the prices reflected it.

"I can't afford any of these," Sori muttered, desperately searching for at least one that wasn't as expensive as the others. The harder she looked, she found, the higher the prices raised.

"What can I get for you, ma'am?"

Sori lifted her gaze to the young man behind the counter. Embarrassment flooded over her. "Uh, do you have any that aren't so...pricey?" she inquired, crossing her fingers behind her back.

The man apparently didn't have the patience for people who couldn't pay. Looking past her, he waved over the person standing behind her. "I can help you, sir. What would you like today?"

Disheartened and quite irritated, Sori took a moment to regain control over her temper. More than anything, she wanted to lash out, but somewhere deep down, she knew that doing so wouldn't help her situation. Still, her stomach rumbled and her mood only worsened.

A sharp whistle tore her attention away from the cakes. Near the entrance they had come from, Marcus stood waving her and Cinna over. "Coming!" Cinna mumbled, his cheeks full of bundt cake. Seeping with jealousy, Sori trudged after him, hoping he would notice how miserable she looked and would offer her some. As she passed the other vendors, she realized with the utmost disappointment that they only sold clothing – expensive clothing.

"Hurry up!" Marcus urged. Once Cinna was close enough, Marcus curled his fingers around the man's forearm and began to drag him toward the cable cars. "You're already running late!" Sori jogged after them, squeezing her way through crowds of people who had just recently exited another car.

"Ow – let me go! I already missed it!"

"Because you were too busy eating!"

Once she reached the two, Sori paused to catch her breath. Elbowing and shoving through everyone was much more exhausting than she thought it would be. "So," she said between her soft panting, "now what?"

"I guess we just wait," Cinna suggested nonchalantly. As he spoke, he began walking back toward the vendors. "In the meantime, might as well fill my belly, right?"

Sori rolled her eyes, her stomach pains only growing worse at his words. "Why don't you fill my belly while you're at it – Hey! What the hell, Cinna?" Her face slammed into his backside without warning. She expected to hear some sort of comment from one of them that she should have been paying more attention to where she was going, but they both seemed to be fixated on something, or someone, near one of the clothing vendors.

"Hey," Marcus murmured, squinting his eyes to get a better look. "Isn't that...?"

"Yeah, I think it is," Cinna chimed in.

Sori clamped her hands around Cinna's shoulders, tired of him moving in the same direction she did every time she tried to peer around him. "What are you guys talking about?" she questioned, looking past the dining workers at the tables. "Oh, is that _Princess Garnet?_ "

There was no denying it. Dressed in the same bright orange jumpsuit Sori had last seen her in, the princess inspected the clothing at the vendor stall intently. Beside her, looking as gravely serious as ever, Steiner stood at attention, ready to leap into action to protect her at a second's notice. Coincidentally, he seemed to recognize the trio just as Sori locked gazes with him. His wide face immediately turned crimson as he leaned down to whisper something into the princess' ear.

As her head turned to look toward Sori's direction, her hair flowed with the movement, gracefully cascading over her shoulder. Wondering why nobody else seemed to realize that the princess herself was in a common area, Sori shrunk at Cinna's side as Garnet made her way over to them.

"You're alive!" she exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "I-I can't express how happy I am to see you three!"

She took a step closer toward Sori, perhaps to pull her into a hug, but an armor-clad hand shot out between them. It was only then that Sori noticed she had taken a step away from the princess without giving it a thought. "Princess, need I remind you who these three are?" Steiner grumbled, his eyes narrowing at Marcus. "They're the scoundrels from Tantalus. I wouldn't put it past them to attempt to kidnap you again!"

"Oh, come off it, tin can," Sori spat.

"Tin can?!" Steiner boomed, turning the heads of the majority of the workers. Almost as if they'd rehearsed it, tables surrounded by men and women fell silent as gazes lifted to see what the source of the commotion was.

Uncomfortably, Garnet tugged on Steiner's arm, forcing him to bend his legs slightly to lower himself to her level. "I told you," she hissed, her face only inches from his, "not to call me princess anymore. We settled on Dagger, remember? And stop causing such a scene! There is no reason to fight with them!"

"No reason?! Princess, I – I mean, Dagger, I cannot sit idly by and watch..."

While the two fell into their own form of bickering, Sori happened to glance back toward the cable cars. Two conductors, their uniforms identical, were already ushering people into a car. "Uh, Marcus?" she mumbled, tapping on Marcus' arm. "Is that the car we're supposed to be on?"

Marcus turned to see just what exactly she was talking about. After letting out a short gasp of horror, he grabbed onto her wrist and began sprinting toward the car. "Sorry for the quick meeting, Dagger!" he called over his shoulder. "We'll see you around!"

It seemed as though the moment the princess disappeared from Sori's vision, she had also disappeared from Sori's mind. Excitement now fluttered inside Sori where the resentment had been. This cable car she eagerly stood in line to board was another step closer to curing Blank – another step closer to seeing his smile and hearing his laughter. Entirely wrapped up in these thoughts, she didn't see Cinna waving them off from the walkway or shouting dramatic goodbyes.

Sori and Marcus eventually made their way to the head of the line, nodded to the conductors, and took their seats. The interior of the car was an exact replica of the one they rode on before. A few more bodies crowded this one, so Sori raced to capture the window seat again.

"Hey, I'll be back," Marcus said after a moment of sitting silently next to her. "I want to see if Cinna ran back in to stuff his face some more." Sori wasn't quite paying attention; she made a noise of acknowledgment, her eyes locked on the vast crevice below the car that was just barely visible through the window.

After a few more minutes of mindless chatter, a whistle sounded and the engine roared to life. The car quivered momentarily before the world outside began to move. Sori sighed in relief. Being stuck at Summit Station, even for just an hour or so, was beginning to make her feel anxious. She liked the thought that they were moving closer to their goal.

"Sori?"

Sori turned her head only to meet the eyes of the princess. Like a wildfire, anger swirled inside her. What made Sori's feelings even worse was the flawless smile spreading across her face. "Yeah?" Sori spat, crossing her right leg over the other.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you? I'd like to speak with you about Blank."


	6. Smoke and Mirrors

How dare she? How dare the princess just casually stroll over and mention Blank's name like it wouldn't force a blade through Sori's heart? How dare she stand there, waiting for an answer, with a carefree smile on her face? How _dare_ she?

Fingernails digging into the edge of her seat, Sori reminded herself that Dagger _was_ the princess. Whether or not she wanted to be anywhere near her didn't matter. Princesses always got what they wanted, so instead of telling her to piss off, Sori simply plunged her teeth into the inside of her cheek and gave a curt, struggling nod. She figured she'd make it obvious she didn't want conversation by turning her head away from the interior of the cable car and staring out the window at the animals that roamed the plains.

At first, the silence between the two nearly outweighed the tension. Sori could feel it deep in her gut, the churning uneasiness that the rest of the car riders must've have felt as well. She imagined everyone shifting their sitting positions uncomfortably, or glancing around at every unknown face that greeted them with the same awkward stare. Turning her head to see if this were true, she found herself disappointed.

Patrons scattered about the car either stared out their own windows, pressed their noses into worn books, or tilted their heads back against the seats, eyelids closed and mouths hanging open with thunderous snores. Unfortunately, watching these people left Sori open for eye-contact with Dagger. The moment her warm, chestnut eyes settled on Sori, her mouth opened.

"I...I know you must have many bitter feelings toward me," Dagger remarked. "I do not blame you." She let out a soft, breathy chuckle. It only fueled Sori's anger. "I guess I'm a little short of words. I admit, I had a list of things I wanted to say to you if I ever saw you again, but they've escaped my mind."

Sori's words flew from her mouth before she could stop herself. "Yeah, well, I had a list, too," she snapped disdainfully. "The only reason you haven't heard them is because your tin can over there won't hesitate to put his blade through my throat." Jutting her chin toward Steiner, who sat rigidly on the opposite end of the car, Sori glowered at the princess.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Dagger pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded in agreement. "You are right about that," she admitted, twisting her back to reach for something settled on the other side of the seat. Sori had been so twisted in her own ire that she hadn't noticed the small rucksack Dagger had sported. From it, the princess pulled a hastily covered bundt cake – one that had caught Sori's eye earlier. Without hesitation, Dagger held it toward Sori, catching her completely off-guard.

A trap, Sori automatically accused. There was absolutely not way she was putting that in her mouth, even if her stomach was howling and her mouth was gathering so much saliva that she could fill an ocean. "No, thank you," she grumbled.

"Please, I insist." Ripping off a small piece of the cake, Dagger popped it into her mouth and chewed graciously. After swallowing, she urged the delicacy toward Sori. "I find that conversations go awry when both sides are starving."

It obviously wasn't poisoned. Sori reached out and tore off a piece of her own. The moment it landed on her tongue, she couldn't help but let out a moan of gratitude. It had felt like years since food last entered her stomach and the more she ate, the better she felt about sitting next to Dagger, about Steiner watching her every move, about everything in general. Still, she was stubborn. The last thing she wanted was to give Dagger the idea that half a bundt cake would fix all the issues between them.

"Thanks," Sori hissed after the cake was nearly finished. She refused to give Dagger the pleasure of eye-contact any longer. She kept her gaze locked either on her feet in front of her or on the window.

"Sori, I-I just want to express how sorry I am about what happened," Dagger began, her voice too airy for anyone else to hear. "I didn't realize until after I had woken up that Blank had been trapped in Evil Forest."

Sori's leg bounced rhythmically. "Sorry doesn't help him," she snarled. "Sorry doesn't bring him back." Her voice grew thick with suppressed tears. "It doesn't fix his petrification, or fix his skin, or fix anything!" Bringing her hand to her mouth, she feigned a cough. This was a trick she'd learned long ago from the boys of Tantalus who didn't want to cry in front of Baku in fear of being hit and scolded for shedding tears.

"I understand," Dagger remarked. "When...when my father passed, everyone told me how sorry they were. No matter how many times I heard it, he didn't come back." Cautiously, she placed a hand on Sori's bouncing leg, waiting for it to calm. "I didn't talk much with Blank, but I saw the way he interacted with everyone. He was a very kind and genero-"

"You talk about him like he's dead. He still is kind and generous and...and you don't deserve the sacrifice he made for you."

Noticing Marcus make his way over toward the pair, Sori brushed Dagger's hand from her knee and turned her head back to the window, hoping her friend wouldn't pay enough attention to the tears of frustration gathering in her eyes. He sat across from them, ignoring the loud throat clearing from Steiner across the car. "You two look like you're having a grand old time," he commented sarcastically. From the corner of her eye, Sori saw his gaze settle on the bundt cake. "May I?"

"Of course." Dagger held out the few pieces of cake that remained and curled the corners of her lips as she watched Marcus wolf them down. She seemed so unfazed by the way Sori had lashed out on her, and Sori couldn't help but fall deeper into her vortex of anger. "Marcus, you mentioned earlier that you're on your way to Treno?"

Cheeks protruding, Marcus gave a muffled grunt of acknowledgment and nodded. "That's right," he answered after a hefty swallow. "To save our brother."

Dagger's brows furrowed as she cast a sideways glance to Sori. The girl refused to give any information. Dagger didn't deserve it.

"Who?"

"There's only one man I call 'Bro.' That's Blank." He explained it as if it was common knowledge. Sori gave a petulant huff. "We've been searching for a cure to his petrification. I finally found a lead on a noble in Treno who has an item called Supersoft. It cures all forms of it, supposedly."

Supersoft. Sori closed her eyes, the word lingering in her mind. Such a simple word for such a complicated situation. Opening her lids, her gaze trailed passing mountains. How much longer would it take to get to Treno? Her back ached and her neck was stiff. She yearned for a chance to stretch her legs, but something told her to stay seated.

The vehicle lurched, squealed, and slammed to a halt. Sori and Dagger yelped in surprise, the former grabbing onto anything she could to steady herself. In this case, it just so happened to be the arm rest on her right and Dagger's leg on her left. Dagger curled her own polished fingers around Sori's arm, holding on rigidly.

The conductor, with sweat lining his upper lip and beading his forehead, stood at the front and waved his arms frantically until the murmurs of concern quieted. "It might be engine trouble!" he reassured them. "Please remain in your seats while I check!"

The passengers shared a round of relieved exhales. From across the car, Steiner's head popped up above all the others, his attention locked on Dagger. Sori leaned back in her seat after hurrying to sever her physical contact with the princess, who could only giggle nervously. "I-I apologize, Sori," she whispered, the heat of embarrassment tinting her cheeks crimson. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Sori spat as she curled her arms defensively over her chest. "Don't worry about it."

In what seemed like an instant, the conductor rushed back in, tripping over his own feet and hysterically hollering about a demon with a pointy hat.

"Pointy hat?" Dagger murmured under her breath. She turned toward Steiner, a flash of realization erupting between them, and vaulted from her seat. Clamoring over satchels and other personal belongings that had shifted, she and Steiner hurried from the cable car.

Sori looked to Marcus for any sort of explanation as to what was going on. He was just as lost; a dumbfounded expression took over his face as his head whipped from side to side. First to peer out the window, then to the source of the horrified howl of someone who had taken the chance to see what the commotion was, and then finally to Sori's face. Without the need of exchanging words, she grabbed for her sword and followed him out into the blinding sunlight.

The demon with the pointy hat caught Sori by surprise. At first, she pictured Vivi with his timid habit of fiddling with his gloves. But this – whatever this thing was – was definitely not Vivi, though it greatly resembled him. Taller, broader, and twitchy in its movements, the Black Mage had its emotionless sights set on Dagger.

"Mission...retrieve...princess...alive." Its voice sent a shiver up Sori's spine. With every word, a limb convulsed repulsively. She gripped the hilt of her sword and forced away the invading thoughts that nothing natural should be moving in such a way.

"Isn't that the one we saw on the cargo ship?" Dagger demanded to know. She spoke to Steiner, but refused to tear her gaze from the Black Mage.

Steiner, however, was just as focused on the creature. His jawline tightened, his shoulders locked in place, and the tip of his sword lifted toward it. "Monster!" he bellowed. Sori flinched at his tone. "I will kill you this time!"

"Wait, Steiner!" Dagger yelled. Then, to the mage, "Tell me something! Why do you want to capture me?"

"Mission...retrieve...princess...alive."

"It doesn't understand what you're saying!" Sori barked, shifting her weight to a position better suited to attack.

The Black Mage jerked in Sori's direction, its bland eyes boring into hers. Her gut twisted; it was so much like Vivi, and yet not at all. In Vivi's eyes, she could clearly see his fear and anticipation. Through this monster's eyes, she could see nothing.

"Eliminate...all!"

In a flash, the mage was hurdling toward Sori, giving her just barely enough time to scurry out of the way before a worn staff swiped the space she had occupied. She landed on the ground sloppily, tweaking her wrist in the process, and covered her head with her other arm as Marcus and Steiner slashed at it with their swords. Dagger's hands curled around the back of Sori's tunic, yanking her from the clashing of metal against the staff.

"Are you harmed?" the princess asked breathlessly once they were far from the danger. Her fingers didn't yield; they lifted Sori's arms and tilted her chin as she surveyed her skin, looking for any lacerations or other wounds.

"I-I'm fine!" Sori hissed, pulling herself away from the Dagger's trembling hands. "Um, thanks."

The two women brought their attention back to the battle. Dodging bursts of flames, strikes from the staff, and relentless kicks to their knees, Marcus and Steiner repeatedly plunged their weapons into various parts of the Black Mage's body. It only lasted a few moments; they were able to take it down without too much trouble, but still left them with a few burns and cuts. Before long, the mage crumbled to the ground, violently twitching at their feet before falling completely still.

Heavy breathing filled the air as Marcus and Steiner made their way to Dagger and Sori. Dagger, who had watched the fight without moving a muscle, caught Steiner's eyes, her own brimming with tears. "What did it want with me?" she whispered as if he had all the answers.

"Princess..."

Marcus sheathed his sword and held out a hand for Sori, who gripped it with a wavering grin of gratitude. "Burmecia was attacked by an army of Black Mage soldiers," he informed Dagger, speaking to her as if it were somehow her fault.

Dagger rested her gaze on the ground for just a moment before looking to Marcus. The tears that had threatened to fall were no longer visible, but the guilt that obviously racked through her was apparent on her face. Her lips pulled into a frown, a crease formed between her brows. "I know."

"Those mages wiped out the people of Burmecia."

Sori glanced at the motionless mage. One didn't appear to be too dangerous, but an entire army of them could prove to cause a multitude of grievances. Her heart ached, both for the lives lost in Burmecia and for Dagger. The princess could only nod, attempting her keep her head held high.

"Who would do such a thing?" Steiner questioned. He sounded as if the fight had aged him ten years and it showed once Marcus moved around Sori to stand directly in front of the knight.

"Are you serious?" the younger man growled, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "How ignorant can you be?!"

"Marcus," Sori moaned as she placed a hand on his shoulder. They couldn't afford another fight right now, especially with each other. As much as she would enjoy watching Marcus get a few punches in, she knew it would only deter them further from curing Blank. They were in a race against time and every second was precious.

"Street rat!" Steiner retorted, throwing his arms into the air in exasperation. "You speak as if you know-"

"Steiner, stop it." Dagger's tone came so quietly that Sori doubted for a moment if she spoke at all. "I know who did it."

"Princess?"

Dagger chose not to acknowledge him. Turning from the trio, she began her trek back to the cable car, her hands clasped behind her back. "We're almost in Alexandria. I must go see my mother. She'll listen to me."

In silence, they took their seats back in the cable car. Steiner insisted upon sitting away from the others, the idea that his armor would bring in too much attention toward Dagger stubbornly set in his mind. Sori, Marcus, and Dagger huddled together in their seats, lost in thoughts of their own.

Sori kept a watchful eye on Marcus. How could he have known about the attack on Burmecia? She had been with him the entire time since Evil Forest, with the exception of short breaks in which she wandered off on her own. Marcus had always been talented in scoping out information for Tantalus – who to pickpocket next, who had the most gil on hand, when to strike. It was one of the main reasons why he was held so highly in Baku's eyes.

Before she knew it, Sori's eyes snapped open. Once again, Dagger had rested her palm on the girl's leg, this time to wake her. The princess' gentle smile met her. "Huh?" Sori snorted, lifting her head from the window and wiping at the trail of drool that had begun to cascade down her chin. "Are we there?"

"Not quite," Dagger responded, sneaking a peek out the window. Across from them, Marcus had decided to take a nap of his own. His snores echoed. "I just wanted to apologize...again. I'm sure you're growing tired of my apologies by now, so I give you my word that this will be the last. That is, until another is absolutely neccesary."

Sori sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. More than most things, she hated being woken up by other people. "Okay, last one," she agreed. "Why are you sorry now?"

Dagger intertwined her fingers together and placed them in her lap, taking a moment to push out a long exhale before speaking. "Earlier, when we were conversing about Blank, I-I came across as if it were comical. I spoke with Marcus before, well..." She motioned toward the man just in time for him to stir in his sleep. "He gave me some insight of your relationship with Blank."

Sori flushed. It seemed so personal to speak about her while she wasn't aware, especially about something so personal. She crossed her ankles over each other and took note that the dull ache in her wrist had subsided. Thankfully.

"It wasn't like we were lovers," Sori defended, a fact she wasn't too content with. "Blank is just...He's the most important person in the world to me. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead."

"As would I. Zidane, as well, from what I understand." Dagger muttered Zidane's name as if he were a deity. "You two may not be lovers, but the bond you share is unlike any other and I treated it as if it were something trivial." She took Sori's hands in hers so quickly that the girl didn't have time to register what had happened and yank her hands back. "Please forgive me, Sori. I understand you may not think of me very highly, and I accept that. I just do not wish to offend or upset you."

Sori studied Dagger's flawless face. No scars, no crooked teeth, no dark bags of exhaustion underneath her eyes. Although she was educated, she was so niave to the outside world. It was only natural that it would show in times of distress.

So, instead of replying with a hurtful comment – which had been Sori's first instinct – she cracked a smile and let out a breathy chuckle. "You know, you really need to work on your speech," she said, giving Dagger's hands a gentle squeeze. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a princess or something."

The whistle of the cable car woke Marcus in a frenzy. He shot up straight in his seat, whipping his head about wildly. "What? What's going on? Where are we?"

"South Gate! South Gate!" the conductor called, looking much more refreshed and relieved than he had been the entire ride. He slumped against his seat as the doors open and the passengers gathered their belongings.

Sori looked to Marcus, lifting her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. "And all your questions have been answered. Now let's go save Blank."


	7. Hope in Darkness

"I've read about these," Dagger murmured, "but I didn't truly believe they existed."

The princess crouched, her attention drawn to the trio of jizo statues on the side of the path. Her delicate fingers brushed away leaves that had fallen on top of them. Sori halted next to her, nostalgia slamming her hard.

"My mother believed in them," she explained, forcing a grin to crack through as Dagger looked up at her. "She always said they brought good luck and safety to travelers on the roads." She paused, her words lost on her tongue. It used to be painless to speak of her family, but since Blank left her side, it ached like the day of the fire. "She said they kept Blank safe on his journeys between our home and Lindblum."

Standing, Dagger asked, "Did you believe in them?"

"I used to."

Marcus and Steiner caught up to them then, the latter breathing in soft wheezes. "Finished sight-seeing, Dagger?" Marcus teased.

Dagger blushed, clasping her hands behind her back. "I am," she said. "I apologize-"

" _Sorry_ ," Sori interrupted.

"O-Oh, that's right. Sorry for being distracted. This – all of this – is like a new world to me."

"Please keep in mind, Princess-" Steiner began.

" _Dagger_."

"...D-Dagger, please remember that we are on a critical schedule. We must meet with Queen Brahne at once."

"Yes, Steiner. I am more than aware."

They continued on through the South Gate and into the wilds of the Bentini Heights. Creatures roamed free, their howls echoing off the mountains. Sori kept a close eye on every Trick Sparrow and Carve Spider, unsure if they were friendly enough to allow them secure passage. Fortunately, the monsters paid no mind to them.

The closer to Treno they ventured, the darker the sky grew. A certain uneasiness filled Sori and she grabbed for her sword. "Is this a normal thing or should we be worried?" she wondered aloud.

"Treno is perpetually in darkness," Dagger expounded, the same excitement glistening in her eyes as when she surveyed the jizo statues. "I've read that it proves growing crops to be rather difficult, but the majority of the residents are very well off, so they don't mind paying the extra cost to have their foods imported."

"Is reading all you do?" asked Sori incredulously.

"I...Well, in a way, yes. I spend much of my time in the library of the castle."

"Do not berate the princess," Steiner scowled, raising a fist toward Sori, "just because you are too lowly to know how to read!"

Sori scoffed, rolled her eyes, and swatted his fist away as if it were nothing more than a gnat. "I know how to read," she lied.

As they approached the gates, two guards yawning in unison welcomed them. They murmured a cursory greeting, opened the metal entrances, and returned to lazing about their posts. Sori could have sworn she watched one immediately fall asleep the moment he stood still.

Once inside, Steiner inhaled deeply through his nose and closed his eyes contently. "Ah, yes. The City of Nobles," he said gleefully. "This will be a grand change from traveling with two penniless thugs."

"Oh, shut _up_ , tin-can."

"Yeah. Do you ever get tired of hearing your own voice? Because we do."

Dagger stepped between the trio and cleared her throat. "We have no time to waste," she announced, her voice climbing over the bickering. "We need to find out which noble has the Supersoft."

Marcus and Steiner seemed to be too lost in their verbal brawl to pay any mind to her. Though Sori had give Dagger her undivided attention, the men argued on, both trying to explain why the other needed to shut their mouth. Before long, the topic shifted. Steiner began to howl, claiming that people like Marcus and Sori were the reason why part of Treno had become a slum.

"We're running out of time," Dagger remarked, turning to Sori.

"For once, I agree with you."

"Shall – I mean, should we start the search on our own?"

A grateful groan graced Sori's lips. "Yes," she replied. "We shall."

(!)(!)(!)

Hours of mindless wandering ensued. At first, the duo simply strolled the streets, taking in the atmosphere while sizing up anyone who appeared as though they were familiar with the concept of wealth. They inquired about the Supersoft, but nobody stopped to lend an ear. With each failed attempt at obtaining information, Sori's spirits weakened.

"This is hopeless," she moaned once they came to a stop. A homeless man retched in a nearby alleyway.

Dagger curled her nose at the noise and turned away from it. "We haven't looked everywhere yet," she reminded. "I doubt we've even discovered half of this city."

"Even if we do find it, how can we be sure the owner will be so willing to give it up to a couple of strangers?"

Casting her gaze to the side, Dagger gave a meek shrug as if she were ashamed. "Well, we could always take it by force," she suggested.

Sori's brows lifted. "Dagger," she gasped. "I'm appalled! And very proud!"

After a long while, they stumbled upon the auction house. Sori's mouth dropped the moment they entered the gigantic double doors. She'd never seen so many nobles gathered in one place, shouting their worth and practically begging to be pick pocketed. Dagger shot her a warning glare, seemingly reading Sori's intentions and dashing her hopes.

Blending in with the crowd (the best they could; their filthy clothes were an obvious sign that they didn't belong there), they sat in the red leather seats and listened to the auctioneer spout off items Sori had never heard of before. The longer she listened to the prices raise, the worse she felt about herself. She longed to know the luxury of owning so much gil.

"Who is that?" Dagger murmured, her voice just barely audible over the buzz of the crowd.

Sori followed her stare to the balcony seats to the right where a single person stood. With a brilliant flow of silver hair and revealing, jewelry-adorned clothes, Sori was uncertain of the person's gender. At first glance, they appeared to be female, but the sharp jawline told her otherwise.

"Prin – Dagger!" came Steiner's awkward boom from the entrance. The nobles paid no attention to the disturbance. "Thank goodness I found you!"

Sori swore she heard a groan rumble from Dagger's mouth as she stood to her feet and turned to face the knight. "How can I find the Supersoft when I keep having to listen to your complaints?!" she snapped.

It took both Sori and Steiner by surprise. The look of pure shock flashed across his face. Dagger may as well have delivered a stinging palm to his cheek. For the first time, Sori almost pitied Steiner. Almost.

"I don't think it's here anyway," Dagger continued, maneuvering around the row of chairs. Sori followed close behind. "Where's Marcus?"

"I do not know," Steiner answered faithfully as if nothing had happened.

Dagger looked to Sori. "Marcus could have found it by now." Her eyes trailed up toward the balcony. It was empty. "We should go."

"Yeah, we should."

They exited the auction house and agreed upon Steiner's suggestion to search the inn he had passed on the way to them. Although it wasn't a far distance away, the tension between him and Dagger gave Sori the impression that they'd been walking in agonizing silence for hours. She'd considered picking fun at him by calling him a tin-can again, just to spark somewhat of a conversation, but decided against it. Dagger's previous comment had given him more than enough humiliation for the day.

During their brief excursion, a group of six or seven children shoved their way past, their sights set on a mangy dog. One of the boys, the smallest of the bunch, tripped over his own feet and toppled onto the ground, catching and scraping his knee on the bricked walkway. Through his teary vision, he looked onward and hollered for the others.

The only one who seemed to hear him was a raven-haired girl in a blue sundress. She didn't hesitate to scurry back to him, kneel down, and plant her lips on the scratches on his knees. "There," she said, pulling him to his feet. "All better."

Sori lingered behind a moment to watch their act come to an end as they walked away hand-in-hand. Her chest tightened. She flexed her fingers, feeling for just a fleeting second Blank's hand curled around hers. She carried on to the inn.

Turning a corner, Sori witnessed Steiner holding the door to the building open for Dagger. The princess gave him a nod of appreciation, which forced his mood to skyrocket. A smile nearly flaunted on his face before Sori appeared in his sights. An immediate grimace grew in place and he nudged his way in front of her as she tried to pass through the threshold.

"Very mature for an Alexandrian Knight," Sori hissed, glaring at his back.

She lifted her hand in a quick wave to the innkeeper, who she had seen only once before in the Lindblum hideout. Only somewhat familiar with each other, he murmured a greeting and jutted his chin toward the set of stairs that led underneath the inn.

Marcus met them halfway down the stairs. Sweat beaded his forehead and he seemed breathless, but his face was alight. "We're ready to get the Supersoft!" he declared.

Partly out of revenge and partly out of enthusiasm, Sori rushed toward Marcus, ducking underneath Steiner's arm and lunging to the side, nearly knocking the armored man off his feet. "Filth!" he hollered, steadying as hastily as he could to save himself the embarrassment. Sori turned, winked, and bit her thumb at him.

Dagger, too invested in Marcus' words to dignify the rambunctious behavior with any sort of acknowledgment, attempted to hide her eagerness by pursing her lips. "When do we leave?"

Marcus let out an astonished, "Huh!" He offered a half-smirk. "You're really coming, aren't you? Well, we can leave right away, if you'd like. The boss is waiting at the dock."

"Boss?" she repeated.

"That would be Baku," Sori informed her. "I'm sure you remember him. He's tough to forget."

Apparently on an agenda of her own, Dagger sprinted past them and descended the makeshift stairs and ladders. Steiner shouldered his way through, hot on her trail. Deciding it best to save themselves from any injuries, Sori and Marcus took their time catching up.

"So," Sori began once they were out of earshot, "how'd you find out about the attack on Burmecia?" She narrowed her eyes as the lighting around them fell dimmer.

"Before I found you at your old home back when we were in Dali, I'd overheard a storekeeper talking about it. He said he wasn't pleased with Dali being a supplier of the Black Mages. I guess the whole 'quiet, wholesome town' theme is just a cover-up."

"I knew something felt weird about that place."

The sounds of trickling water and creaking boards replaced their voices. Just as Sori began to form the thought that life seemed peaceful in that moment, Steiner's gruff voice shattered it. "Don't you talk back to me! I am escorting the princess-"

"I thought you might've changed after travelin' with Zidane, but you ain't changed!" came Baku's terrifying yell. Sori was filled with the utmost joy that it wasn't directed at her this time. "Do you even know why you're here?!"

When Sori and Marcus hustled down the last flight of stairs, Dagger sighed in relief and hopped into a tiny boat that Marcus had prepared for them beforehand. "Let's just go, okay?" she persisted.

His face crimson, Steiner shuffled after her. Marcus followed, but a beefy, hairy hand stopped Sori before she could set foot in. Baku peered down at her, his beady eyes glistening with something she'd never seen in them before.

"You're really stickin' with this," he stated as if he were affirming it with himself.

Sori nodded. "I'm doing it for Blank. I have to."

Baku mimicked her nod and gave her a "gentle" pat on her back before urging her into the boat. It may have been gentle in his terms, but it nearly knocked the wind out of Sori.

The boat drifted on. While Steiner prodded Dagger, asking her for the tenth time if she truly wanted to stoop so low as to steal the Supersoft, Sori sat on the edge of the vessel. Marcus fiddled with his blade, running his fingertip down its length. "He's proud of you, y'know."

The realization that Marcus was speaking to Sori didn't strike her until a second of silence had passed. She tore her gaze away from her reflection in the water. "Who is?"

"The boss," he answered matter-of-factually. "I've only ever seen him give that look to me and Blank."

A warm, comforting sensation grew in Sori's stomach and spread to her chest. She turned from Marcus and looked back into the water, watching as her reflection's lips curled into a wide grin. Baku was _proud_ of her. That fact made up for all the names Steiner had called her. She was finally becoming someone of value to Baku and the rest of Tantalus.

The boat slammed against a stone dock, cracking the bow slightly. After the initial shock of impact faded, Marcus turned his attention toward a stairway leading upward. "In there!" he hissed sharply.

"Where are we?" Sori whispered as she pulled herself onto the dock. Dull pebbles pressed into her palms and left mismatched imprints when she brushed them away.

"Under a shop," Marcus answered, his gaze darting all around them. "The Supersoft is here."

They filed up the staircase and found themselves in a storage room of sorts. Sori soon noticed that it was just the back area of the store – a place entirely visible to customers. Heaps of boxes and books were littered about the space. A few had been knocked over at some point, creating a mess of papers and potions on the floor. Dust invaded Sori's nose, tempting her to sneeze. She pinched her nostrils, but Steiner gave in.

"How are we going to find it?" she asked as she pried open one of the boxes. Empty, save for an over-sized spider corpse. She gasped and flinched away.

"Just keep looking."

Much to their chagrin, their time to search was cut short. There was a squeak of a lantern dial, a wheezing cough, and an approaching light from a connecting hallway. Steiner snatched the back of Sori's tunic and yanked her toward him as he huddled in a dark corner. Dagger, who had shielded herself behind a crate with Marcus, cast Sori a panicked glance.

"Oh, I can't believe I ran out of ink on a night like this," an ancient, fragile voice mused. "I must find more ink and go back to the observatory."

Marcus looked to Dagger, who had been smiling since she heard the unknown voice. "Should I take care of him?" he asked.

Her voice came out strong, clear, and loud. "No!" Bolting from her hiding spot, she disappeared from Sori's sight. The younger girl peered around the edge of a box, watching as Dagger bowed to a stubby, feeble man. "I've missed you, Doctor Tot."

Behind Sori, Steiner gave a puff of surprise as Doctor Tot greeted Dagger by her true name. He shoved Sori to the side and into a pile of torn and crumpled papers as he jumped to his feet. "Doctor Tot?"

Marcus was at Sori's side before she could get her bearings, helping her from the trash and shaking his head at Steiner. "You know him?"

"Doctor Tot is the highly respected scholar who tutored the princess!" Steiner barked as if it were common knowledge.

Doctor Tot motioned his free hand rapidly. "You must be quiet," he scolded, "or you'll wake the shopkeeper. But, Princess, what on earth are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, but we're looking for Supersoft right now."

Dagger's confession sent Steiner into a series of alarmed rambling. "There is a proper reason for this! We are not here to steal, or commit any form of crime-"

"We actually are," Sori chimed in, earning herself a bewildered stare from Doctor Tot. It seemed as though she and Marcus had gone unnoticed during the whirlwind of a reunion.

"Is someone there?" a new voice called from the hallway. There was a collective halt in breathing.

Moving swiftly, Doctor Tot urged the four back the way they came. "Run along!" he whispered. "I will give you the Supersoft later! Go left from the Treno entrance and continue until you find a large tower. The tower is my home. It's locked, but I shall unlock the door and await your arrival."

Before they had the chance to properly thank him, the door thudded shut behind them. Dagger, Steiner, and Marcus chattered on as they perched themselves back in the boat. Sori, however, was silent. Her mind hummed with that had just occurred. Disbelief invaded her thoughts. It just seemed too good to be true.

(!)(!)(!)

"This must be it."

Standing before the tallest tower in Treno, Sori's heart thumped against her chest. This was it: the place that held Blank's cure. Although it had been only a mere three days since she last heard his voice, it felt as if eons had passed.

She assumed that night had truly settled over the city. Children no longer roamed the streets. Most had retreated to their homes, others found beds in the corners of alleyways and patched tents. The stall vendors had packed their belongings and abandoned their posts for just a few hours to catch up on sleep. A certain stillness, almost peaceful, filled the area.

Marcus took the initiative to open the wooden door leading into the tower. Countless stairs met them, winding up the interior in a spiral. Taking two steps at a time, Marcus, Sori, and Dagger ascended higher into the tower while Steiner huffed and puffed his way up, falling further and further behind. By the time they reached the top, his face was dripping with sweat and he sounded as if there wasn't enough air in the world to fill his lungs.

"Princess!" Doctor Tot exclaimed, turning from an open book to look at us. "Thank you all for coming to my humble abode."

Sori crossed her arms over her chest as she surveyed the room. With the monstrous broken globe nestled in the middle, thousands of books strewn across the floor, and a messy bed shoved underneath a catwalk, there was hardly any room to move about. An musty smell lingered around; she tried to hide the fact that her nose crinkled as the scent entered her nostrils.

"This is your home?" Dagger questioned, a soft bout of commiseration in her voice. She, too, attempted to hide her discomfort.

Marcus leaned in closer to Sori once the doctor and Dagger fell into their own conversation. "Find the Supersoft," he whispered urgently.

Sori inched toward a wooden chest that had first caught her eye when they entered the room. A golden lock secured it. She fumbled with it, searching for any crack in the design.

"Will you two stop snooping around for five minutes?!" Steiner snapped, startling Sori. "Damn thieves."

Instead of erupting in a fit of anger and mistrust like Sori had expected, Doctor Tot simply rasped out a gruff chuckle and fished about in the pocket of his coat. "Here," he said, providing a rusted key. "The Supersoft is in that chest you're touching. Go ahead and take it."

Sori's hands trembled as she inserted the key into the lock. She missed twice, but aimed right on the third try. Twisting it so hard that the key nearly broke, she licked her lips and let out a sharp exhale. The chest opened, revealing a vial of violet liquid. She shook it side to side gingerly, watching as it sloshed about in the glass, before holding it to her chest.

"Blank..."


	8. Trust Falls

_"Sori, is it?"_

 _The young boy standing before Sori crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, a single razor sharp tooth protruding from his bottom lip. At a head taller than her and a pompous feel about his presence, Sori assumed this boy was important - a leader of the rest, possibly._

 _"Um, y-yes," she stammered, wrapping her arms even tighter around her body to cure her chills. The gash on her leg throbbed, though it had been tended to hours ago. She resisted the urge to scratch at it again._

 _"The boss wants to see you."_

 _Silently, Sori pushed herself from the bed she had been resting on and followed the boy down a creaking ladder. He led her to a circular table where two figures sat. Her cautious eyes traced them. First the larger of the two - the one she vaguely recognized as the man with the giant hands who carried her far from her smoldering home. The other was Blank, who she wouldn't have been able to identify if a tuft of scarlet hair hadn't poked out from underneath his bandages._

 _"Sit," came the mountainous man's grave voice._

 _Sori chose a chair opposite from him and watched as the sharp toothed boy perched himself on the other side of the man. It was all so strange, this double life of Blank's. With her own family, it had been obvious that he was the black sheep. Now that was Sori's title._

 _"Sori, is it?"_

 _She wondered if they rehearsed the identical greeting before she arrived._

 _"Y-Yes, sir."_

 _Folding his arms in the same manner as the boy had before, the boss leaned back in his chair. The wood groaned against his weight. "Parents burned up in that house, didn't they?"_

 _Tears instantly sprung to Sori's eyes. Her gaze flicked to Blank as she swallowed the hard lump in her throat, but he refused to look at her. "Yes," she whispered somberly, "sir."_

 _The boss nodded, a low humming noise vibrating from his pursed lips. "Blank's put in a request for you to join our little band of merry men," he informed her, his tone low and dark, though an entertained smirk grew on his plump face._

 _"And woman!" Ruby shrieked from around the corner where she had been washing the blood from Blank's clothing._

 _Like a child throwing a tantrum, the unknown boy gave a great huff. "I don't think she deserves it," he spat. "She couldn't even save herself. Look at what happened to Blank because of her! Didn't you hear him screaming when Ruby was scraping off the burned ski-"_

 _"Marcus!" Blank roared, grabbing for a chipped goblet and launching it toward the boy's head. "Shut your mouth!"_

 _Before it could do any damage, the boss caught the goblet with ease and narrowed his beady eyes into a glare. "Marcus, nobody asked for your worthless opinion," he scolded. Bringing his focus back to Sori, he sighed heavily. "I guess we can use more of a woman's touch 'round here. Ruby needs help cookin' and cleanin'. As long as you take care of my boys, you got that?"_

 _Although the majority of his face had been covered in bandages, Sori noticed the grin playing on Blank's lips. Her heart pattered rapidly, her mouth ran dry. She had lost her family and gained a new one in less than twenty-four hours. "Ah, y-yes, sir!"_

 _"And knock off that 'sir' crap!"_

(!)(!)(!)

Doctor Tot's home seemed to be shrinking by the second. With all the clutter and the domed ceiling that had appeared to be massive at first, it felt more like a stone container than anything. Squawks of birds reverberated off walls, but with all the haphazardly created nooks and crannies, the creatures could have easily shared a home with him.

Settled on the edge of the doctor's bed, Sori bounced her leg anxiously. The vial of Supersoft felt abnormally hefty in her satchel. However, she knew she was simply imagining the weight. She was ready to leave and get to Blank as soon as possible, but Dagger's curiosity held them in place.

"Where did you find this globe?" the princess questioned from the catwalk above Sori's head. She ran her fingers delicately across the rounded surface and inspected the dust that had collected on her skin.

Doctor Tot cleared his throat and sauntered to her side. The wood creaked at their feet and Sori immediately launched herself from the bed. "It's an antique. It's broken, but as you can see, I use it as an observation deck," he explained. "Ironic, isn't it? Looking up at the sky from inside a globe."

Sori's attention strayed from the two and settled on Marcus, who lazily strolled about the cramped room, his eyes darting every which way. She recognized his stature instantly: it had been something Baku had drilled into their heads at a young age. He taught them to enter shops and pubs with their heads held high, as if they belonged there. "Keep a sharp eye out," Baku had instructed. "Wear a cheesy-lookin' smile to cover your intentions. Mark and remember the goods to take, and do it like ghosts. Quiet and invisible."

Ugly guilt boiled inside Sori. Although it was second nature to take anything that looked to be worth a handful of gil, it felt strange - wrong, even - to filch anything more from the old man. Marcus proved to hold the opposite end of morals and slipped a glittering gold chain into a satchel of his own.

"It may be dangerous," came Doctor Tot's voice once more, pulling Sori from her reverie. "However, I shall see to it that you reach Alexandria."

Standing on her toes, Sori peered over the edge of the catwalk. Doctor Tot hobbled toward a diminutive metal dome and leaned against it, rasping pants escaping his cracked lips.

"How?" Dagger and Steiner inquired simultaneously. Sori nearly flinched at the sound of Steiner's voice; he had been silently standing at attention in the corner the entire time Dagger and the doctor babbled on.

A proud gleam flashed in Doctor Tot's eyes. With a grunt of effort, he bent over and opened the dome, revealing a makeshift ladder. "I had an old transportation device remodeled in case of such emergency. This way, please."

Panic surged through Sori. Were they going to part ways here? She turned to her kleptomaniac companion and asked briskly, "What are we going to do?"

"We're going with them."

Steiner, face stained with an irate crimson, barked, "What?! Why?!"

"We can reach Blank more easily from Alexandria. Sure, there's a bit of mountain to deal with, but it's faster than getting there from Treno."

A certain tenseness filled the air - a kind that only seemed to appear when the two men interacted with each other. Sori sighed in irritation. Their bickering was growing old, especially now that they were so close to curing Blank. Her tired eyes dragged toward Dagger, who motioned for her. Without hesitation, she scrambled up the ladder to peer down the tunnel that Doctor Tot had opened. The bottom was shrouded in darkness.

"That's a long way down," Sori remarked under her breath.

"Please exercise caution," Doctor Tot warned. "I have not used this ladder in many years."

Sori was the first to take the plunge. The rungs of the ladder were icy against her bare palms - painfully so. Though she tried to contain it, she couldn't help but pause her descent to huff warm air onto the calluses of her hands, ignoring Steiner's complaints.

A suffocating moldy smell wafted throughout the tunnel. Sori quickly made a habit of breathing strictly with her mouth, attempting to fight back an occasional gag or dry heave. The end of the ladder could not come soon enough and once Sori's feet touched solid ground, she sucked in the clean air with a hint of trepidation.

The chilly air remained constant. Sori wrapped her arms around herself, peering at their new surroundings. Stone walls and flooring, candles struggling to stay aflame inside lanterns, and tree vines growing overhead and leading down a pitch dark passageway. It all reminded Sori of the stories about dungeons her mother told her as a child. She now understood why she concept of being locked away in such a place was told to children to ensure their good behavior.

"What is this place?" Sori asked, watching her breath drift from her mouth and disappear into thin air.

Doctor Tot cleared his throat from behind her and began to pat the dust from his clothing. "This is Gargan Roo, an ancient travel route between Treno and Alexandria."

Concluding yet another childish argument, Marcus and Steiner finally reached the base of the foundation. Sori rushed to Marcus' side, standing between him and the knight. "Do you think getting to Evil Forest will be easy?" she asked once Steiner had scuttled to Dagger's side.

Gaze trailing a nearby spider dangling from a web, Marcus nodded and gave an arrogant smirk. "Oh, yeah. Once we get to Alexandria, we're ditching these two."

Sori wasn't sure why, but his words stung.

"Princess!" Steiner yelled boisterously, snapping Sori's focus to him. "Let us find it!" Without waiting for any response, he bustled toward the darkness.

Approaching Dagger, Sori's lips tugged into a slight grin as she spied the princess' rapid eye roll. "Find what?" the younger girl inquired.

"A sequence trigger to call the Gargant."

They pursued Steiner, obsessively searching for anything that resembled a trigger. The act seemed useless after ten minutes of finding nothing, until Steiner let out a howl of pride. He wretched on a rusted switch, flinching at the piercing scarping noise that echoed all around them. Finally, with a deafening crack, the switch fell.

Doctor Tot's fragile voice called to them. "The Gargant has been called inside!"

As if on cue, the vines overhead began to osculate. Sori stared anxiously at them, her hand resting on the hilt of Blank's sword. A hungry bawl filled the extending tunnels, as well as the scuttling of the branches. A creature emerged from the shadows – spastic in its movements and gangly like the Carve Spiders they had encountered during their travels. Some sort of carriage had been attached to its back, swaying with its movements. It slinked along the vines swiftly, paying no mind to the humans below it, and disappeared down yet another tunnel.

"Oh, that was useful," Sori commented sardonically, her shoulders relaxing.

"Patience," Doctor Tot scolded. Sori scoffed; the last few days had made her grow tired of being patient. "Now we must halt it. Go pull the feed lever other there." He lifted a stubby finger, pointing to a small golden handle with the word "feed" etched into it.

Once the lever had been pulled, a thicket of green and brown vegetation lowered from an opening in the ceiling, blocking the Gargant's path. Circling back around, the creature came to an abrupt halt in front of it, gave it a mighty sniff, and began to devour it as if it had been starving nearly to death. The doctor ushered the four into the carriage before standing back to observe the Gargant with satisfaction.

Sori touched the interior walls of the carriage, the soft velvet throwing her into a sense of bewilderment. It seemed as if someone had performed some sort of maintenance on the device, but Doctor Tot had stated that he hadn't set foot down here in quite some time. So who else groomed the Gargant and the carriage?

"Won't it keep going on circles?" Dagger asked apprehensively.

"No. I'll reverse the connection and let the Gargant out of the station."

Doctor Tot and Steiner clasped each other's hands in a tight shake before the Gargant finished its meal, each muttering something too low for the others to hear. The creature squealed loudly, leaving a distant ringing in Sori's ears and a shiver down her spine. Its legs retracted from the vines and grabbed over and over again, signaling that it was ready to move. A few moments after the doctor left their side, the thicket ascended back into a hole in the ceiling and the Gargant jerked forward.

Letting out a yelp of surprise, Sori fell back into Dagger, who caught the girl clumsily. Instead of grimacing like Sori had first expected, the princess giggled softly. "I've never dreamed of doing anything like this!" she told Sori, an amazed smile plastered on her face.

"Really?" Sori replied, pulling herself upright and placing her sword. For the first time since meeting her, Sori felt sorry for Dagger. She had spent her whole life locked away in some castle, only experiencing great adventures like this from watching out her windows or flipping through dusty pages in her vast library while Sori was out actually living in it. As a child, Sori would daydream about the life of a princess, but now she pitied anyone in that position.

The ride lasted only a few minutes before the Gargant slowed to a stop and emitted an odd whimpering noise. Marcus peered down the blackened path they had been traveling, but shook his head in surrender. "It's too dark," he said. "I can't see anything."

Dagger, however, seemed to have better eyesight than Marcus. She sucked in a sharp gasp and vaulted from the carriage. Sori desperately called after her and attempted to jump as she did. Once she looked down, the ground seemed to move underneath them. She gripped the edge of the carriage and gingerly lowered herself onto the earthy surface before sprinting after the brunette, listening to the clanking of Steiner's armor behind her.

Sori nearly rammed into Dagger's backside as she stopped without warning. An enormous, grotesque snake slithered side to side in front of them, hissing ferociously. Bloodstained tusks protruded from the monster's jowls, curling at the tips. Down its lengthy body, pointed bones extended from its skin in every which way. Dagger grasped Sori's hand and yanked her entirely behind her, shielding her.

"This must be the reason why the Gargant stopped," Dagger assumed as Marcus and Steiner caught up to them.

Sori reached upward, her fingers searching for her weapon. They touched only air, and panic exploded within Sori. She'd left Blank's sword on the carriage. Noticing the horror written on her face, Marcus pulled her further from the snake and ordered her to stay back before lunging at its tail.

Its skin seemed hard as stone at first, but with a short struggle, Marcus' blade pierced it, spewing tainted blood in all directions. As a counterattack, the snake reared back, howling in agony, and delivered its head squarely onto Marcus. Marcus crumpled to the ground, his eyes closed tightly for a moment before climbing to his feet.

"Vile beast!" Steiner roared, dashing toward it with his own blade held high over his head. In one fell swoop, he slammed his sword onto the snake's skin, the edge sinking in with ease. Meanwhile, Dagger raced to Marcus' side, her hands and staff glowing.

Sori paced about frantically as the battle waged on. At first, she considered running back to the Gargant to recover her sword, but she knew there was no time for that. She had to do something now.

"Sori!" Dagger and Marcus cried simultaneously.

It had only taken a blink of an eye for the snake to wriggle its way to Sori and lift its head in another ram. It caught her by surprise; Sori took a step backward and caught her ankle on a securely lodged rock. She toppled onto her bottom, covering her face with her arm to hide her sight from her impending death.

Death never came.

Someone was grunting in front of her. Fearfully, she opened her eyes. Steiner had closed the gap between her and the monster, his blade stuck within its mouth. His body trembled as he kept it at bay, and with a mighty heave, he pushed it from Sori. Its beady eyes shifted to each of the humans before letting out a whine and retreating to where it came.

"On your feet," Steiner spat through his ragged breathing as he peered over his shoulder at Sori.

Wiping the small pebbles and dirt from her palms, Sori unceremoniously pulled herself up. "You saved my life," she mumbled in disbelief. "Thanks a ton."

Steiner said no more to her and began his walk back to the Gargant. As the rest followed behind, Sori took notice of the deep, identical scowl etched into the faces of the men. She glanced toward Dagger, who returned the fleeting look. It seemed safe to say she wasn't the only one concerned about their expressions.

"What's wrong with you two?" Sori demanded to know once the Gargant resumed its crawling. "You both look like someone kicked you in the knee."

"It got away," Marcus muttered into his palm as he rested his elbow on the edge of the carriage.

"Real men don't allow evil creatures to escape," Steiner added, his distant gaze locked behind them.

Hoisting her hands onto her hips, Dagger's lips pushed into a thin line. "You shouldn't let a blow to your egos affect you. Look, we're here anyway. If we would have stayed any longer to kill it, it might have been too late."

The Gargant stopped at a landing that seemed to mirror the one they split paths with Doctor Tot on. Keeping a firm grip on Blank's sword, Sori jumped onto the bricked surface. The silence perturbed Sori. At least in Treno's underground passage, there had been the faraway noises of the nightlife in the city.

Dagger seemed perplexed. Her brows knit together, a crease formed between them.

They trudged up a flight of stone stairs and set foot on what appeared to be threshold between the underlying chasms of Alexandria and the Gargant route. Dagger's head whipped side to side as she took in the surroundings, the growing look of confusion still overcoming her.

"Is this really Alexandria?" Marcus questioned, his tone laced with doubt.

"Well, it must be!" answered Steiner curtly.

"So, where do we go?"

Steiner brought a finger to his lips as he pondered on that. There was only a single staircase leading into the upper doorway, but countless paths branched off from their location. "Hm...Well, this way! Princess, let us make haste!"

He started for the staircase, only to have his path blocked by a metal fence. It sprung up before him, shoving him onto his backside. He immediately rolled onto his hands and knees, and lifted an accusing finger toward Marcus and Sori.

"You two!" Steiner bellowed. Sori's mouth dropped. "What kind of trick is this?!"

"Excuse me?!" the girl snapped, throwing her arms into the air. "This is _your_ castle! We didn't set this up!"

Steiner's face fell and he glanced toward the fence. "You really didn't do anything?" he asked flatly.

Sori jolted when Dagger grabbed for her hand and began to pull her toward the way they came. "Go back the other way!" she ordered. "My ancestors built these traps to keep enemies from invading!"

The girls led the frantic sprint toward the exit, but once again, a fence stopped them in their tracks. Jumping at the metal, Sori's fingers latched onto the holes. Climbing proved to be more difficult than she originally thought; spots to place her feet became scarce halfway up, and she fumbled backward. Dagger sloppily caught her, only to topple back herself.

"They fell for it!"

The high-pitched, grating voice seemed to appear from nowhere at first. As Sori dragged Dagger to her feet, the party collectively swept their gazes about the room. High above on an observation deck, danced a short, blue-clad jester. Sori shuddered at the malicious grin spread across his face.

"Fell for it, they did!"

The similar voice forced their heads to turn in the opposite direction. Another jester mirrored his partner's movements. Red colors splashed his clothing and face.

A menacing growl vibrated from Steiner's throat as he lifted a fist toward the red clown. "Zorn! Thorn! I am Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto! I have returned! Let us out!"

Thorn threw his head back in a cackling fit of laughter. "Too bad, it is."

"You're all under arrest!" Zorn chimed in.

Sori's heart felt as if it were about to beat a hole through her chest. Her tongue dried and nausea threatened to force the contents of her stomach upward. "Under arrest?" she repeated under her breath. She stole a look toward Marcus, who seemed to be suppressing his terror by nibbling on his lower lip. His tongue wiped beads of blood from his skin. "We didn't do anything!"

A hand flashed in front of Sori. Dagger delivered a silent stare as she moved in front of the girl, wordlessly telling her to keep her mouth closed at this time. "Zorn! Thorn!" Her voice, though she attempted to push her confidence into it, wavered with her fear. "I've returned to Alexandria to speak with my mother. Take me to her!"

Zorn nodded immediately, the grin morphing into a halfhearted try at a mask of innocence. "Yes, we will take you to see Queen Brahne," he answered, his voice singsong, "whether you like it or not!"

"'Capture Princess Garnet!' Queen Brahne said," Thorn sang, twirling in circles. "Ordered us, she did!"

A staggered breath flew from Dagger's mouth as she took a step back, barely bumping into Sori. "What?" she asked almost inaudibly.

"Lies!" Steiner objected. "The queen would never!"

Sori, fighting every urge inside her that told her to abandon the princess and somehow escape with Marcus, unsheathed her sword and took a step forward. "We've come too far to let these dopes stop us," she hissed. "We're not getting caught here."


	9. The Return

"I can't believe this. I absolutely can't believe this."

Back and forth, Sori traced her steps within the spacious cage they'd been thrown into, repeating the same two sentences obsessively. She kept her gaze locked on the faraway walls, attempting to ignore the fact that the metal cage dangled from a flimsy hook attached to the high, domed ceiling. She'd made the mistake of peering straight down when Dagger had been dragged away, kicking and screaming, and learned her lesson.

Steiner hopped to his feet, rocking the cage ever so slightly, and yanked at the bars. "How dare they detain us like this?!" he roared, face crimson. "Those wretched court jesters! Zorn and Thorn will never get away with this!"

Huffing out a breath of defeat, Sori shut her eyes tightly and placed her forehead against the cool metal. Behind her eyelids, Blank's grinning face flashed through the darkness. She reached into her satchel. The Supersoft had, thankfully, remained intact during her struggle with the Alexandrian guards. Ire boiled inside her at the reminder that the only thing that stood between her and Blank was the castle and its inhabitants.

She let out a shriek of frustration and kicked at the cage. Sharp pain shot up her foot and leg. Tears welled in her eyes, but she wriggled her matted hair to shield her look of agony from the men.

"I can't believe we got dragged into this, Sori," Marcus murmured for the first time in what felt like ages. Tucked away in a shadowed section, he sat with his back against the bars, his knees pulled to his chest and his face hidden within his arms.

Upon hearing the hushed comment, Steiner's rage peaked. "No one asked you to meddle into our affairs!" he bellowed, his narrowed eyes outlining Marcus' figure.

Marcus lazily pulled himself to his feet and spat, "It's pretty sad getting back-stabbed by your own queen."

Shaking her head, Sori begged, "You guys, please knock it off."

"This is all some kind of mistake! I know the queen!"

"Are you sure about that? She seems to be full of surprises lately!"

"Please, don't argue right now..."

"She would never betray me!"

"Looks like she already has!"

"STOP!" Trembling, Sori turned to face the two, frantically wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Stop fighting all the damn time! Stop acting like children! Just stop!" The girl's explosion caught them by complete surprise. After exchanging a wary glance, the men fell silent and returned to their sides of the cage. Once more, Sori turned her back to them, her shoulders quivering with suppressed sobs.

For a long while, the only sounds they heard were the shouted orders of the guards below and the collective rumbling of their stomachs. While Sori focused on a single soldier standing at attention on a bricked walkway, Marcus' eyes darted about, his mind reeling with possibilities.

"The time has come to escape!" Steiner declared, grabbing for the bars. He seemed confident in his words.

Sniffling, Sori shifted to cast him a weary look. "How?" she croaked out.

Steiner's hands dropped to his sides. He blenched at Sori's reddened eyes and her blotched cheeks, and let out a dejected sigh. "I...don't know."

"Perfect," Sori hissed venomously, rolling her eyes. For the first time, she missed Dagger.

"I have an idea," Marcus announced as he hustled to the opposite end of the cage as Steiner. "Sori, I need you to run back and forth between us as I tell you, and we're going to pull in the same direction."

The plan seemed to be riddled with failure, but Sori doubted another idea would appear anytime soon. Sucking in a great breath, she did as Marcus instructed, sprinting between the two as quickly as her legs would allow. Seconds ticked away into minutes, and minutes disappeared into an hour before Steiner was able to even touch the edge of the nearby balcony. The cage swung side to side, forming a ball of nausea in Sori's gut. She pushed through it as Marcus yelled a promise that they were almost there.

The booming sound of the crash echoed throughout the vast halls of the castle. Gasping for air, Sori clutched onto the cage to steady herself before Steiner looped his arm around her waist and hoisted her onto the balcony.

A wide pair of eyes locked on the trio. A guard, stunned at their actions, swallowed hard and grabbed for his sword. "Halt!" he barked, making a mad dash for them.

Marcus scoffed immodestly and rammed his shoulder into the guard once he was close enough, sending him soaring over the edge of the balcony. Sori's distraught stare followed the flailing body and flicked away just before it hit the ground below. There was a muffled crunch that sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to dwell on it. More guards were surely coming, and time was of the essence.

They pushed past every blockade they encountered, whether it be humans or doorways. Steiner led them up ladders, through seemingly infinite hallways, and around a spiral staircase that opened to a trap door in the floor. "Princess!" the knight called out when they reached the final stair.

"We're done here," Marcus informed, wiping at the sweat lining his neck. "Come on, Sori."

"Marcus, wait," Sori gasped, doubling over to rest her palms on her knees. She grabbed onto his arm before he could make any progress, struggling to bring air into her lungs. "I think...I'm going...to die."

"Quit being so dramatic," he snapped, pulling at her wrist. "Let's go! Blank's waiting!"

Begrudgingly, Sori trailed after him, wheezing all the while. It didn't take long for her sprint to slow to a dragging trudge at the very end of the first hallway they delved into. Clutching the fabric on her chest, she leaned against the wall, curiously listening to a series of voices from behind them over her ragging breathing. They sounded eerily familiar.

Her body jolted in surprise as a blond man rounded the corner, nearly slamming into her. "Zidane?" she managed to get out.

"Sori? Marcus?" Zidane questioned, skidding to a stop. "What the heck are you guys-"

A hand gripping Zidane's shirt and yanking him from his stance cut him short. "Watch out," Marcus advised, tugging on a switch attached to the tunnel-like entrance they had just come from. "I'm closing the gate."

Sori hadn't noticed them, but two bulky guards had been barreling their way toward them during their reunion. A gate slammed down between the groups, ensuring their safety.

After watching the vexed guards desperately try to break through the gate, Zidane looked back to Marcus. "What are you doing here?" he asked, finishing his previous thought. "And why is Sori on the brink of death?"

Air was finally beginning to return to her, but Sori still suffered from the dull ache spreading throughout her chest. In response, Marcus casually lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "What can I say? She's out of shape."

"Hey!"

"We're on our way to cure Blank. What're you-"

The shared realization that there was no time for idle conversation hit them all at once as a mighty battle cry from Steiner struck their ears. Zidane offered his usual cocky smirk and said before jumping into a run, "On my way to find Dagger!"

Relief flooded through Sori as they parted ways. Her breath returned, as well as a new sense of hope.

"Just a little longer, Blank. We're almost there."

(!)(!)(!)

Coming back to Evil Forest proved to be more challenging than escaping it. After tumbling down mountains and slashing their way through countless packs of hungry creatures, Sori and Marcus found the forest by accident. At a point, they'd gotten turned around and only found their way back by following a trail of petrified vegetation.

As they cautiously entered the forest, Sori's heart hammered away in her chest. Everything was so still and quiet, and yet she couldn't help but be on edge. Her past experiences with the woodland taught her that danger certainly lurked around every corner.

Before long, her bleary eyes settled on what first appeared to be an intricate, beautiful statue. Her stomach lurched as they approached it. "Blank..."

Reaching up to touch him, Sori found herself amazed and horrified at the overwhelming thought that Blank didn't look real. It was as if an exceptionally dexterous sculptor had carved his struggle with the surrounding beasts straight from marble. A wry chuckle flew from Sori's mouth as she blinked back another threatening bout of tears.

At last, Blank was right there in front of her.

"Sori," came Marcus' impatient voice from behind her. She'd entirely forgotten he was there.

"Right," she whispered, fishing through her satchel. "Sorry."

Sori's hands shook as she produced the vial of Supersoft. With a bit of effort, the cork popped from the glass neck and she tossed the purple liquid onto Blank's frame. A low hiss emitted as steam lifted into the air. Breaths hitched in their throats, Sori and Marcus watched as the grey color faded from Blank's form. The soft peach kissed his skin around his darkened scars, and scarlet tinted his hair.

As Blank toppled from the monster's clutches, the pair scrambled to catch him. At first, he didn't speak or move. His head dangled forward lifelessly until Marcus brought in a fistful of his hair and tilted it back, revealing his face. Mouth slightly agape, soft pants pushed their way through.

"Wh-What's wrong with him?" Sori asked, panic rising with every word. "Is he awake?"

Marcus' eyes traced Blank's face. "I don't know," he answered despondently. "Bro? Bro, can you hear me? Blank!"

Hooking one arm around Blank's waist, Sori grabbed for the belt covering his eyes and gracefully ripped it from his face. "Blank?" she muttered as she watched his eyelids twitch. "Please do something."

From the back of his throat, Blank gave a pathetic moan. A few silent moments crawled by before the emerald shine in his eyes was unveiled. Before anything, he met her stare. "Sori..."

Sori couldn't help but let out a short giggle at the melodic tone to his voice. She pursed her lips as her tears fell, leaving a salty taste in her mouth as she pushed out an almost inaudible, "Hey."

As if he would shatter into pieces, Sori and Marcus gingerly steadied Blank on his feet, keeping a firm hold on various parts of his body should he lose his balance. His fingers kept a rigid clench on their clothing at first, then leisurely released. "I...I think I'm okay."

Sori reluctantly took a step from him, sizing him up. Everything about Blank seemed the same, save for the stony grey he had been only moments ago. Her fingers itched to touch him again, but she curled them around her trousers instead.

"We should get you back to Lindblum," Marcus suggested, squinting his eyes at the forest around them.

Something donned on Sori. "You guys go," she said as she nudged the now empty vial underneath a petrified log with the side of her foot. Droplets spilled from the glass, reviving patches of grass. "I'm going back to Alexandria."

"Why?" Marcus demanded to know before Blank had the chance to open his mouth.

"Dagger," Sori replied sharply. "She's still back there. I feel like I owe it to her to help her."

Though muffled by a distant call of an unknown beast, Blank's frail voice inquired, "Dagger?"

Sighing in agitation, Marcus ran a hand across his face and shook his head. "You owe it to her?" he asked condescendingly. "We were the ones saving her ass the whole time."

"Who's Dagger?"

"If it wasn't for her, there's no way we would've been able to get the Supersoft."

Marcus groaned. "Fine, but after she's safe and sound, we're taking him" - he jammed a finger directly in front of Blank's line of sight - "back to Lindblum. Got it?"

In the blink of an eye, Blank's left hand shot out to cover Sori's mouth and his right hand gripped Marcus' finger. His palm smelled of blood and dirt. "Will someone please tell me who Dagger is?"

"The princess," Marcus deadpanned.

"Got it," Blank said with a nod. "Let's go save her."

The men shared a knowing grin before Marcus took off between an arch of crumbling vines. Sori and Blank hesitated, his hand trailing down to caress her cheek. A faint smile played on his lips.

"You've been crying."

Sori choked back a laugh, feeling the warmth of his skin as her fingers met his. "It's been a long day."

She reached down and retrieved his belt, which he wasted no time fastening around his eyes.

"Ready to go be heroes?"

"Always."

(!)(!)(!)

During their absence, the castle had erupted into pure chaos. Bodies littered the ground – luckily, Sori recognized none of them – in dark pools of their own blood, effigies had been broken down to nothing but rubble, and a ceaseless stream of unintelligible, rough voices invaded Sori's ears. She instantly felt sick at the sight of it all, as if coming back would lead to their deaths.

"How are we going to find them?" she asked meekly.

Marcus' brain had already been working the moment they came upon the ruins. "We'll go back to the spot where we were captured," he decided, breaking out into a brisk walk toward a broken door. "Maybe someone made the same mistake we did."

"Captured?" Bank repeated, struggling to keep up with Marcus' pace. His legs still felt stiff and uncomfortable. "You guys got captured?"

Sori flashed him a proud smile. "Like I said, it's been a long day."

Avoiding the waves of soldiers quickly became the most difficult part of their endeavor. Unsure of where they were all coming from, the trio narrowly escaped detection by hiding behind the remains of furniture and by huddling together in dim corners.

A soldier did eventually see Sori; he'd caught a glimpse of her midnight hair as she scampered around a corner and instinctively grabbed onto it, yanking her to the ground. With a shrill yell, her hands flew up to tangle within her locks. She wrestled blindly with the soldier until a weight disappeared from her head and his body fell limp. Horror filled her as she turned to see what had happened.

Blank had sliced though the soldier's skull with a sword of his own. Brown pieces of bone and some sort of pink fleshy substance leaked from what was left of the soldier's head. Sori exhaled sharply and stepped away from the mess, refusing to meet Blank's gaze.

"Get a move on," Marcus growled from five paces ahead of them.

It didn't take long to find the entrapment chambers; Marcus seemed to have the layout of the castle's interior pictured perfectly in his mind. Mirroring their earlier encounter with the group, Zorn and Thorn stood on opposite ends of the observation deck, taunting whoever they lured in this time. Sori, Blank, and Marcus silently peered around the corner into the vast area.

"I'll sneak around to the other side," Marcus whispered.

Blank dipped his head into a small nod. "I'll take out the other one. Sori, stay here."

Again with this act of holding Sori back? Frustration whipped through her. "Wha-"

The men had already begun their stealth attack before she could push out a single word. Much like mice, they skittered across the floor, their footfalls hushed. In one synchronized move, they kicked out the feet of the jesters, flinging them to the ground. Sori watched from the threshold, grimacing at the sound of heads cracking against stone, until Blank motioned her over.

"Zidane!" he called to the tailed man below. "Are you guys okay?"

Extending her neck to look over the edge of the deck, Sori met Dagger's sullen stare. Her heart, it seemed, skipped a beat or two. The princess looked fine – bloodied, bruised, and terrified, but she was still in one piece. For a split second, Sori considered jumping down from the high surface to embrace her.

"Blank!" Zidane exclaimed, his hair disheveled and an angry gash along his left forearm. Between him and Dagger stood a small Black Mage who Sori acknowledged with a pleased grin. Vivi lifted his gloved hand in a shy wave. "What...? How did you guys-"

The battered fences descended back into their slots the moment Marcus began to fiddle with a haphazardly placed switch on the wall behind him. "The Gargant is probably still there!" he said, pointing to the entrance behind the group.

"Man, I love you guys!"

Sori beamed. She'd missed Zidane's tenderhearted behavior. "Get out of here!" she barked. "There are probably more bad guys coming!"

As they did as Sori told, Dagger gazed in her direction. Though no words came from her mouth, Sori knew she was thanking her. The young girl simply waved her off, praying they would make it to a secure area without any problems.

"Now to find the old rust bucket," Marcus remarked. "Where in the hell could he be?"

Sori tried to listen to all the shouting within the castle. If Steiner were still alive – though she greatly doubted it – his voice was muffled by the sounds of mayhem and madness. "He's probably still back where we left him," she suggested. "He couldn't have gotten far – not with all these soldiers running around."

Much to her surprise, Marcus gave it no thought. Before she could process his movements, he was already jogging down an extensive, ravaged hallway. "What're you guys waiting for?!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Let's go!"

(!)(!)(!)

Sori's throat became raw and scratched with her persistent yelling of the knight's name. She'd long ago cast away her concern of alerting more soldiers; the majority seemed to have retreated for the time being, and those who still patrolled stood no chance against Blank and Marcus. The two worked together perfectly, delivering synchronized, devastating blows to their enemies without so much as a wink in the others' direction.

Jealousy boiled inside Sori at the sight of it. Now she understood why the two were most favored by Baku. She pushed the ugly emotions aside; there were more important matters on the line.

"Steiner!" she called one final time, her voice cracking in the middle of his name. She studied the faces of every lifeless body they passed, grateful that she had not discovered Steiner's worn features on them.

"This way!" hissed Marcus as he bolted through a side door.

The sharp, bloodstained tip of a hefty spear cut Sori short in her tracks. Just barely touching the concave dip of her throat, the weapon trembled with the owner's efforts to hold it upright. Sori lifted her hands in surrender, her eyes locked onto the narrowed, yellow pair directly in front of her. "Stay back," the rat-woman warned gravely.

"Freya, wait," Steiner groaned from behind her figure. "They are not our enemies."

The spear lowered and Sori caught Freya as she slumped over. Through the thin fur covering every part of her body, Freya's skin was damp with sweat. Pulling her hand away, Sori saw that it was not sweat sticking to her body, but rather blood. Cringing for the woman in her arms, she turned her focus to Steiner, who sat huddled in the corner with another woman, this one unconscious.

Armor-clad and sporting a dazzling blade, Sori assumed this woman was just another run-of-the-mill soldier. Observing further, her original image of this person who Steiner held onto for dear life had shattered. She'd seen the partially covered face in grand paintings of Queen Brahne, standing at her side loyally. It meant she was an enemy.

"Marcus," Steiner said, his glossy eyes drifting to the younger man, "please, take Beatrix."

Marcus took a step forward.

"Marcus, stop."

He did, and threw Sori a bemused glance.

"She's an Alexandrian Knight," Sori pointed out, wincing at the pain in her throat that followed each word. "She's on the queen's side, not ours."

"No, it...it was a misunderstanding," Steiner countered as he peered down at Beatrix's face. Gently, he tucked a stray strand of russet hair behind her ear. "We...Nothing is as we once knew."

His tone tugged at Sori's heart. She nodded to Marcus, who lifted Beatrix from Steiner's weakening embrace. Blank maneuvered himself around his companion and curled his arms around the knight, dragging him upward.

"On your feet, old man. Our next stop is Lindblum."


End file.
